NASA’s Race for Regional Jet Reset Air Base Defense a Lunar Lander Mitsubishi Shelves M100 Reimagined $14.95 MAY 18-31, 2020 PARKED SHORTTERM OR LONGTERM? Digital Edition Copyright Notice The content contained in this digital edition (“Digital Material”), as well as its selection and arrangement, is owned by Informa. and its affiliated companies, licensors, and suppliers, and is protected by their respective copyright, trademark and other proprietary rights. 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Number 10 By Article: AviationWeek.com/awst By Issue: AviationWeek.com/awst_current Download and Read Offline: AviationWeek.com/download DEPARTMENTS 5 | Feedback 13 | The Launchpad 6 | Who’s Where 56 | Classified 8-9 | First Take 57 | Contact Us 10 | Up Front 57 | Aerospace 11 | Going Concerns Calendar 12 | Leading Edge The COVID-19 pandemic has added perilous twists to the FEATURES 13 United Arab Emirates’ effort to launch its first Mars mission. 14 | Lunar Landers Blue Origin, Dynetics and SpaceX win NASA contracts to develop systems for crewed Moon landing 28 | CARES act weaknesses cause 45 | A new Chinese naval JL-9 appears, 20 | Preservation Priority flurry of disputes possibly for carriers On the lookout for opportunities, 30 | Mitsubishi M100 suspension alters 46 USAF Agility Prime aims to boost carriers strive to store aircraft in | regional jet market dynamics again investor confidence in eVTOL ready-to-use condition MAINTENANCE, REPAIR ROTORCRAFT 34 | Back to Orbit AND OVERHAUL 48 | Fiber-optic sensing could transform The Pentagon reveals experiments 32 | Airline fleet change will trigger main rotor blade technology attached to the X-37B Orbital aftermarket reset Test Vehicle DEFENSE PROPULSION 40 | Lighter and Leaner 36 | MDA revives dormant concept for 49 | Is Super-STOL a viable alternative to Okinawan exercise offers glimpse extended-range THAAD electric vertical takeoff and landing? into the U.S. Air Force’s future air war strategy 37 | Latest South Korean ballistic UNMANNED AVIATION missile hurls hefty warhead 53 | Technology Lift 52 | Drone services are being promoted Air cargo counts on robotics, 38 | Boeing ATS puts autonomy for in U.S. coronavirus battle Bluetooth tracking and blockchain loyal-wingman teaming to the test VIEWPOINT to smooth operations and gain efficiency 42 | Finnish fighter needs to challenge 58 | Accelerate aircraft retirements to bidders’ capabilities save the aerospace supply chain SPACE 18 | Launch of Long March 5B opens ON THE COVER Chinese space station phase Uncertainty about how quickly passenger demand will return amid the novel coronavirus pandemic has COMMERCIAL AVIATION airlines hedging bets with their fleet strategies, blurring the lines between which aircraft are in service, parked or being stored. Our report by France Bureau Chief Thierry Dubois and Air Transport and 22 | Pandemic prompts big four U.S. Safety Editor Sean Broderick begins on page 20. Andy Luten photo. airlines to shuffle their fleets Aviation Week publishes a digital edition every week. Read it at AviationWeek.com/AWST 25 | Regulators struggle to agree on conditions for reopening air travel DIGITAL EXTRAS Access exclusive online features from articles accompanied by this icon. AviationWeek.com/AWST AVIATION WEEK & SPACE TECHNOLOGY/MAY 18-31, 2020 3 Editor-In-Chief Joseph C. Anselmo [email protected] Executive Editors Jen DiMascio (Defense and Space) [email protected] Jens Flottau (Commercial Aviation) [email protected] Graham Warwick (Technology) [email protected] Editors Lindsay Bjerregaard, Sean Broderick, Michael Bruno, Bill Carey, Thierry Dubois, William Garvey, Ben Goldstein, Lee Hudson, Irene Klotz, Helen Massy- Beresford, Jefferson Morris, Guy Norris, Tony Osborne, Bradley Perrett, James Pozzi, Adrian Schofield, Lee Ann Shay, Steve Trimble Chief Aircraft Evaluation Editor Fred George Director, Editorial and Online Production Michael O. 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Beijing Bradley Perrett [email protected] Cape Canaveral These sector-specifi c intelligence Irene Klotz [email protected] Chicago briefi ngs empower busy Lee Ann Shay [email protected] executives to stay-ahead of the Frankfurt market, identify opportunities and Jens Flottau [email protected] Houston drive revenue. Mark Carreau [email protected] London Tony Osborne [email protected] Los Angeles LEARN MORE: Guy Norris [email protected] aviationweek.com/marketbriefi ngs Lyon Thierry Dubois [email protected] Moscow Maxim Pyadushkin [email protected] Paris Helen Massy-Beresford [email protected] Washington Jen DiMascio [email protected] Wichita Molly McMillin [email protected] President, Aviation Week Network Gregory Hamilton Managing Director, Intelligence & Data Services Anne McMahon 4 AVIATION WEEK & SPACE TECHNOLOGY/MAY 18-31, 2020 AviationWeek.com/AWST FEEDBACK Editor-In-Chief Joseph C. Anselmo [email protected] HAND-FLYING SKILLS memories of McDonnell Aircraft not reliable now that no one is fl ying Executive Editors In reply to “Manual Profi ciency” e orts in the late 1960s to sell the regularly. But I am staying up to date Jen DiMascio (Defense and Space) [email protected] (March 23-April 5, p. 6), the evolution concept of city-center-to-city-center with my timely digital copy. I can now Jens Flottau (Commercial Aviation) [email protected] of automation on modern aircraft short-takeo -and-landing (STOL) see all the additional material that is Graham Warwick (Technology) [email protected] requires a process that enables pilots operations to major U.S. airlines. I was available to me by this means. Even Lindsay Bjerregaard, Sean Broderick, Editors to practice and maintain their skills part of the fl ight-test team that con- though I am “old-school,” I am adjust- Michael Bruno, Bill Carey, Thierry Dubois, William Garvey, to manually fl y the aircraft. fi gured the aircraft in airline livery for ing to my new normal with some good Ben Goldstein, Lee