China Entering Hypersonics Arena?

ICBM-Launched hypersonic glide vehicle?  Hmmmm...  What this does is slow an adversary's response to an incoming Chinese ICBM because they can't be sure that it really carries a nuke.  Yeah, an attack is an attack, but how do you respond when you aren't sure what kind?

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/jan/13/hypersonic-arms-race-china-tests-high-speed-missil/?utm_source=RSS_Feed&utm_medium=RSS

Navy Northrop-Grumman Triton UAV Halfway Through Testing?

This story leaves me doing a little bit of head-scratching.  The article seems to center on envelope expansion testing of the Triton in prep for systems testing.  This is totally logical.  But what I don't understand is why it would take half the test program to "clear the envelope" of an airframe that is essentially unchanged from one that has been flying for a couple of decades!  The only thing I can figure is that the Navy wants to fly faster, or slower, or higher than the current users.  If that is the case, it might open some visibility into the Navy's planned missions for the plane.  On the other hand, I suppose that the Navy's flight control software changes may be so radical that they have to go back and clear the original envelope all over again.  Anybody know what the issue is on this?

http://www.stripes.com/news/navy/navy-s-big-triton-drone-completes-ninth-test-flight-1.261773

Bombardier C-Series Test Progress Slow in January

The link below is to an article that focuses mostly on financials, but the story makes it pretty clear that slow progress on the the C-Series is an important underlying cause of the poor cash-flow for Bombardier.

http://www.canadianmanufacturing.com/general/cseries-concerns-remain-despite-simultaneous-test-flights-128932

Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo Hits Mach 1.4 and 71,000 Feet

Although the story at the link below embellishes a few historical details with inflated stories of imagined "secrecy", they do share a few interesting facts regarding the most recent flight test.  This one appears to be almost as focused on training as it was on testing, bringing the planned Chief Pilot up to speed on the spacecraft with an experienced test pilot alongside to help guide the tests.  Word on the street (becoming more credible now) is that 2014 is the year of the first customer flight.  Guess we'll see...

http://www.latimes.com/business/money/la-fi-mo-virgin-galactic-spaceship-20140110,0,6703082.story#axzz2qX0fQD5x

UAV Test Sites Chosen

Article at the link below is just one of many cropping up in papers all over the states that nabbed UAV flight test sites.  The articles are essentially identical.  Take a look at the fellow in the picture.  Does he look more like you, or like your son?  Handwriting is on the wall, guys!

http://www.dallasnews.com/business/technology/headlines/20131230-texas-among-states-to-host-federal-test-sites-for-drone-aircraft.ece

Sierra-Nevada Finally Gives Thumbs Up to Dreamchaser Data

The flight was weeks ago, and was marred by a very ungraceful landing, but now after looking at all the data, NASA and SNC have concluded that they know what the gear problem was and apparently consider it a simple fix.  The stability derivatives that they were really looking to confirm, and the flight control software that they were looking to exercise, all apparently matched predictions.  This puts the U.S another step closer to getting its own astronauts into orbit.  (This is all the more important, with Lori Garver starting to backpedal on the viability of the SLS.)  What the Dreamchaser doesn't do, of course, is assure the astronauts a place to go.  Yes, ISS cooling loops are back up and running, but what's the next homeowner repair job that the crews will have to do?

http://www.bizjournals.com/denver/blog/boosters_bits/2013/12/dream-chaser-test-flight-found-to-have.html

Textron Scorpion Logs Maiden Flight

Sounds like an uneventful maiden flight, with nothing to make it stand out from many others.  The development cycle, on the other hand, sounds like something that hasn't often come out of a major manufacturer in decades, and even operations like Scaled Composites haven't gone from autocad to aerobrake in only two years any time in recent memory.  Good on them!  The story itself is just long enough to contain some inconsistencies.  The pilot reports that the plane performed better than expected, then the story goes on to say that it flew like the simulator, closely matching predictions.  The individual comments each sound great, it's just that taken together they raise an eyebrow.  Let's see what happens next...

http://www.kansas.com/2013/12/12/3175403/scorpions-first-flight-is-milestone.html