ccc is included in our aerospace segment . on january 14 , 2015 , the company purchased 100 % of the equity of armstrong for approximately $ 52.3 million in cash . armstrong , located in itasca , illinois , is a leading provider of engineering , design and certification solutions for commercial aircraft , specializing in connectivity , in-flight entertainment , and electrical power systems . armstrong is included in our aerospace segment . 16 markets commercial transport market sales to the commercial transport market include sales of electrical power generation , distribution and motion products , lighting & safety products , avionics products , systems certification and structures products . sales to this market totaled approximately $ 414.5 million or 66.4 % of our consolidated sales in 2017 . maintaining and growing sales to the commercial transport market will depend on airlines ' capital spending budgets for cabin upgrades as well as the purchase of new aircraft by global airlines . this spending by the airlines is impacted by their profits , cash flow and available financing as well as competitive pressures between the airlines to improve the travel experience for their passengers . we expect that new aircraft will be equipped with more passenger and aircraft connectivity and in-seat power than previous generation aircraft . this market has experienced strong growth from airlines installing in-seat passenger power systems on their existing and newly delivered aircraft . our ability to maintain and grow sales to this market depends on our ability to maintain our technological advantages over our competitors and maintain our relationships with major in-flight entertainment suppliers and global airlines . military aerospace market sales to the military aerospace market include sales of lighting & safety products , avionics products , electrical power & motion products and other products . sales to this market totaled approximately 9.8 % of our consolidated revenue and amounted to $ 61.3 million in 2017 . the military market is dependent on governmental funding which can change from year to year . risks are that overall spending may be reduced in the future , specific programs may be eliminated or that we fail to win new business through the competitive bid process . astronics does not have significant reliance on any one program such that cancellation of a particular program will cause material financial loss . we believe that we will continue to have opportunities similar to past years regarding this market . business jet market sales to the business jet aerospace market include sales of lighting & safety products , avionics products , and electrical power & motion products . sales to this market totaled approximately 6.6 % of our consolidated revenue in 2017 and amounted to $ 41.3 million . sales to the business jet market are driven by our ship set content on new aircraft and build rates of new aircraft . business jet oem build rates continue to be significantly impacted by slow global wealth creation and corporate profitability which have been negatively affected during the past several years by global economic uncertainty among prospective buyers . our sales to the business jet market will continue to be challenged in the upcoming year as business jet aircraft production rates are not expected to increase significantly during 2018 . despite the current market conditions , we continue to see opportunities on new aircraft currently in the design phase to employ our lighting & safety , electrical power and avionics technologies in the business jet market . there is risk involved in the development of any new aircraft including the risk that the aircraft will not ultimately be produced or that it will be produced in lower quantities than originally expected and thus impacting our return on our engineering and development efforts . other aerospace sales of our other aerospace products include sales of airfield lighting products and other peco products . sales to this market totaled approximately 2.8 % of our total revenue or $ 17.5 million in 2017 . tests systems products our test systems segment accounted for approximately 14.4 % of our consolidated sales in 2017 and amounted to $ 89.9 million . sales to the semiconductor market were approximately $ 32.0 million . sales to the aerospace & defense market were approximately $ 57.9 million in 2017 . critical accounting policies our financial statements and accompanying notes are prepared in accordance with u.s. generally accepted accounting principles . the preparation of the company 's financial statements requires management to make estimates , assumptions and judgments that affect the amounts reported . these estimates , assumptions and judgments are affected by management 's 17 application of accounting policies , which are discussed in the notes to consolidated financial statements , note 1 of item 8 , financial statements and supplementary data of this report . the critical accounting policies have been reviewed with the audit committee of our board of directors . revenue recognition the vast majority of our sales agreements are for standard products and services , with revenue recognized on the accrual basis at the time of shipment of goods , transfer of title and customer acceptance , where required . there are no significant contracts allowing for right of return . to a limited extent , certain contracts involve multiple elements ( such as equipment and service ) . the company recognizes revenue for delivered elements when they have stand-alone value to the customer , they have been accepted by the customer , and for which there are only customary refund or return rights . arrangement consideration is allocated to the deliverables by use of the relative selling price method . the selling price used for each deliverable is based on vendor-specific objective evidence ( “ vsoe ” ) if available , third party-evidence ( “ tpe ” ) if vsoe is not available , or estimated selling price if neither vsoe nor tpe is available . story_separator_special_tag sg & a expenses in 2015 benefited from a $ 1.8 million write-down of a contingent consideration liability related to an acquisition earn-out obligation . interest expense decreased in 2016 compared to 2015 due to decreased debt levels . income taxes our effective tax rates for 2017 , 2016 and 2015 were 21.3 % , 29.6 % and 28.8 % , respectively . our tax rate is affected by recurring items , such as tax rates in foreign jurisdictions and the relative amount of income we earn in those jurisdictions , which we expect to be fairly consistent in the near term . it is also affected by discrete items that may occur in any given year , 21 but are not consistent from year to year . in addition to state income taxes , the following items had the most significant impact on the difference between our statutory u.s. federal income tax rate of 35 % and our effective tax rate : 2017 : 1. recognition of approximately $ 2.9 million of 2017 u.s. r & d tax credits . 2. permanent differences , primarily the impact of the domestic production activities deduction . 3. federal tax expense on deemed repatriation of foreign earnings ( $ 1.3 million ) , partially offset by revaluation of the deferred tax balances ( $ 0.9 million ) as a result of a reduction in the federal tax rate from tax law changes enacted in 2017 . 2016 : 1. recognition of approximately $ 2.6 million of 2016 u.s. r & d tax credits . 2. permanent differences , primarily the impact of the domestic production activities deduction . 2015 : 1. recognition of approximately $ 2.6 million of 2015 u.s. r & d tax credits . 2. permanent differences , primarily the impact of the domestic production activities deduction . 2018 outlook we expect consolidated sales in 2018 to be between $ 745.0 million and $ 815.0 million . our consolidated backlog at december 31 , 2017 was $ 393.7 million of which approximately $ 346.7 million is expected to ship in 2018 . we expect our capital equipment spending in 2018 to be in the range of $ 24.0 million to $ 28.0 million . e & d spending in 2018 is expected to be in the range of $ 110.0 million to $ 115.0 million including the acquired businesses , which represents approximately 14.4 % of sales at the mid-point of the expected sales range . segment results of operations and outlook operating profit , as presented below , is sales less cost of products sold and other operating expenses excluding interest expense , corporate expenses and other non-operating revenue and expenses . cost of products sold and operating expenses are directly attributable to the respective segment . operating profit is reconciled to earnings before income taxes in note 17 of item 8 , financial statements and supplementary data , of this report . aerospace segment replace_table_token_7_th 2017 2016 total assets $ 621,047 $ 500,892 backlog $ 298,604 $ 219,146 22 replace_table_token_8_th replace_table_token_9_th 2017 compared with 2016 aerospace segment sales increased by $ 0.6 million , or 0.1 % , to $ 534.6 million , when compared with the prior year , primarily due to the addition of the acquired businesses which added $ 15.5 million . electrical power & motion sales decreased $ 24.2 million , or 8.4 % , due to lower sales of cabin power products due to a combination of lower volume and pricing . systems certifications sales decreased $ 2.2 million and other products decreased $ 1.0 million from lower project activity . these declines were offset by increased avionics sales , up $ 21.2 million of which $ 15.0 million was from the acquired businesses and $ 5.3 million was from increased sales of databus and in-flight entertainment systems . structures sales increased by $ 5.0 million . aerospace operating profit for 2017 was $ 38.9 million , or 7.3 % of sales , compared with $ 78.0 million , or 14.6 % of sales , in the same period last year . aerospace operating profit was negatively impacted by lower sales volume and market pricing pressures primarily related to cabin power products , coupled with the $ 16.2 million goodwill impairment at armstrong and an operating loss of $ 8.4 million from ccc . e & d costs for aerospace were $ 85.3 million ( inclusive of $ 5.6 million related to the acquired businesses ) and $ 78.5 million in 2017 and 2016 , respectively . 2016 compared with 2015 aerospace segment sales decreased by $ 15.7 million , or 2.9 % , when compared with the prior year to $ 534.0 million . electrical power & motion sales increased $ 8.7 million , or 3.1 % , largely driven by higher sales of in-seat power products and seat motion products , which were up $ 7.0 million and $ 4.3 million , respectively . sales of structures products were up $ 4.5 million . these increases were offset by a $ 23.4 million decline in avionics products , which was largely due to lower sales of satellite antenna systems and lower vvip in-flight entertainment/cabin management systems , and a $ 4.8 million decrease in system certification sales . aerospace operating profit for 2016 was $ 78.0 million , or 14.6 % of sales , compared with $ 85.1 million , or 15.5 % of sales , in the same period last year . the decrease in operating profit was the result of lower sales volume , coupled with slightly higher e & d costs and a general increase in operating costs . e & d costs for aerospace were $ 78.5 million and $ 77.9 million in 2016 and 2015 , respectively . aerospace sg & a expense decreased slightly to $ 60.0 million in 2016 , compared with $ 60.1 million in 2015 . 2018 outlook for aerospace – we

cash provided by operating activities was $ 48.9 million in 2016 compared with $ 78.5 million in 2015 . the decrease of $ 29.6 million in 2016 was primarily a result of decreased net income and net operating assets in 2016 when compared with 2015 , partially offset by an increase deferred income tax benefit in 2016. cash provided by operating activities was $ 78.5 million in 2015 compared with $ 99.9 million in 2014. the decrease of $ 21.4 million in 2015 was primarily a result of the impact of increases in net operating assets in 2015 when compared with 2014 net of the effects from acquisitions of businesses . our cash flows from operations are primarily dependent on our net income adjusted for non-cash expenses and the timing of collections of receivables , level of inventory and payments to suppliers and employees . sales and operating results of our aerospace segment are influenced by the build rates of new aircraft , which are subject to general economic conditions , airline passenger travel and spending for government and military programs . our test systems segment depends on capital 25 expenditures of the semiconductor industry which , in turn , depend on current and future demand for those products . a reduction in demand for our customers ' products would adversely affect our operating results and cash flows . investing activities cash used for investing activities in 2017 was $ 129.6 million , primarily related to the acquisitions of ccc and csc of $ 114.0 million and purchases of property , plant , and equipment ( “ pp & e ” ) of $ 13.5 million . cash used for investing activities in 2016 was $ 14.6 million , primarily related to purchases of pp & e of $ 13.0 million . cash used for investing activities in 2015 was $ 73.6 million . the acquisition of armstrong used approximately $ 52.3 million of cash in 2015 and purchases of pp & e used $ 18.6 million . our expectation for 2018 is that we will invest between $ 24.0 million and $ 28.0 million for pp & e .


 Write a concise suspicious activity report of the following text delimited by triple backquotes. Return your response as a formal report which covers the key points highlighting the location,dates,entity names and account holder information in chronological order of the text.
     ```cash provided by operating activities was $ 48.9 million in 2016 compared with $ 78.5 million in 2015 . the decrease of $ 29.6 million in 2016 was primarily a result of decreased net income and net operating assets in 2016 when compared with 2015 , partially offset by an increase deferred income tax benefit in 2016. cash provided by operating activities was $ 78.5 million in 2015 compared with $ 99.9 million in 2014. the decrease of $ 21.4 million in 2015 was primarily a result of the impact of increases in net operating assets in 2015 when compared with 2014 net of the effects from acquisitions of businesses . our cash flows from operations are primarily dependent on our net income adjusted for non-cash expenses and the timing of collections of receivables , level of inventory and payments to suppliers and employees . sales and operating results of our aerospace segment are influenced by the build rates of new aircraft , which are subject to general economic conditions , airline passenger travel and spending for government and military programs . our test systems segment depends on capital 25 expenditures of the semiconductor industry which , in turn , depend on current and future demand for those products . a reduction in demand for our customers ' products would adversely affect our operating results and cash flows . investing activities cash used for investing activities in 2017 was $ 129.6 million , primarily related to the acquisitions of ccc and csc of $ 114.0 million and purchases of property , plant , and equipment ( “ pp & e ” ) of $ 13.5 million . cash used for investing activities in 2016 was $ 14.6 million , primarily related to purchases of pp & e of $ 13.0 million . cash used for investing activities in 2015 was $ 73.6 million . the acquisition of armstrong used approximately $ 52.3 million of cash in 2015 and purchases of pp & e used $ 18.6 million . our expectation for 2018 is that we will invest between $ 24.0 million and $ 28.0 million for pp & e .
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 Suspicious Activity Report : ccc is included in our aerospace segment . on january 14 , 2015 , the company purchased 100 % of the equity of armstrong for approximately $ 52.3 million in cash . armstrong , located in itasca , illinois , is a leading provider of engineering , design and certification solutions for commercial aircraft , specializing in connectivity , in-flight entertainment , and electrical power systems . armstrong is included in our aerospace segment . 16 markets commercial transport market sales to the commercial transport market include sales of electrical power generation , distribution and motion products , lighting & safety products , avionics products , systems certification and structures products . sales to this market totaled approximately $ 414.5 million or 66.4 % of our consolidated sales in 2017 . maintaining and growing sales to the commercial transport market will depend on airlines ' capital spending budgets for cabin upgrades as well as the purchase of new aircraft by global airlines . this spending by the airlines is impacted by their profits , cash flow and available financing as well as competitive pressures between the airlines to improve the travel experience for their passengers . we expect that new aircraft will be equipped with more passenger and aircraft connectivity and in-seat power than previous generation aircraft . this market has experienced strong growth from airlines installing in-seat passenger power systems on their existing and newly delivered aircraft . our ability to maintain and grow sales to this market depends on our ability to maintain our technological advantages over our competitors and maintain our relationships with major in-flight entertainment suppliers and global airlines . military aerospace market sales to the military aerospace market include sales of lighting & safety products , avionics products , electrical power & motion products and other products . sales to this market totaled approximately 9.8 % of our consolidated revenue and amounted to $ 61.3 million in 2017 . the military market is dependent on governmental funding which can change from year to year . risks are that overall spending may be reduced in the future , specific programs may be eliminated or that we fail to win new business through the competitive bid process . astronics does not have significant reliance on any one program such that cancellation of a particular program will cause material financial loss . we believe that we will continue to have opportunities similar to past years regarding this market . business jet market sales to the business jet aerospace market include sales of lighting & safety products , avionics products , and electrical power & motion products . sales to this market totaled approximately 6.6 % of our consolidated revenue in 2017 and amounted to $ 41.3 million . sales to the business jet market are driven by our ship set content on new aircraft and build rates of new aircraft . business jet oem build rates continue to be significantly impacted by slow global wealth creation and corporate profitability which have been negatively affected during the past several years by global economic uncertainty among prospective buyers . our sales to the business jet market will continue to be challenged in the upcoming year as business jet aircraft production rates are not expected to increase significantly during 2018 . despite the current market conditions , we continue to see opportunities on new aircraft currently in the design phase to employ our lighting & safety , electrical power and avionics technologies in the business jet market . there is risk involved in the development of any new aircraft including the risk that the aircraft will not ultimately be produced or that it will be produced in lower quantities than originally expected and thus impacting our return on our engineering and development efforts . other aerospace sales of our other aerospace products include sales of airfield lighting products and other peco products . sales to this market totaled approximately 2.8 % of our total revenue or $ 17.5 million in 2017 . tests systems products our test systems segment accounted for approximately 14.4 % of our consolidated sales in 2017 and amounted to $ 89.9 million . sales to the semiconductor market were approximately $ 32.0 million . sales to the aerospace & defense market were approximately $ 57.9 million in 2017 . critical accounting policies our financial statements and accompanying notes are prepared in accordance with u.s. generally accepted accounting principles . the preparation of the company 's financial statements requires management to make estimates , assumptions and judgments that affect the amounts reported . these estimates , assumptions and judgments are affected by management 's 17 application of accounting policies , which are discussed in the notes to consolidated financial statements , note 1 of item 8 , financial statements and supplementary data of this report . the critical accounting policies have been reviewed with the audit committee of our board of directors . revenue recognition the vast majority of our sales agreements are for standard products and services , with revenue recognized on the accrual basis at the time of shipment of goods , transfer of title and customer acceptance , where required . there are no significant contracts allowing for right of return . to a limited extent , certain contracts involve multiple elements ( such as equipment and service ) . the company recognizes revenue for delivered elements when they have stand-alone value to the customer , they have been accepted by the customer , and for which there are only customary refund or return rights . arrangement consideration is allocated to the deliverables by use of the relative selling price method . the selling price used for each deliverable is based on vendor-specific objective evidence ( “ vsoe ” ) if available , third party-evidence ( “ tpe ” ) if vsoe is not available , or estimated selling price if neither vsoe nor tpe is available . story_separator_special_tag sg & a expenses in 2015 benefited from a $ 1.8 million write-down of a contingent consideration liability related to an acquisition earn-out obligation . interest expense decreased in 2016 compared to 2015 due to decreased debt levels . income taxes our effective tax rates for 2017 , 2016 and 2015 were 21.3 % , 29.6 % and 28.8 % , respectively . our tax rate is affected by recurring items , such as tax rates in foreign jurisdictions and the relative amount of income we earn in those jurisdictions , which we expect to be fairly consistent in the near term . it is also affected by discrete items that may occur in any given year , 21 but are not consistent from year to year . in addition to state income taxes , the following items had the most significant impact on the difference between our statutory u.s. federal income tax rate of 35 % and our effective tax rate : 2017 : 1. recognition of approximately $ 2.9 million of 2017 u.s. r & d tax credits . 2. permanent differences , primarily the impact of the domestic production activities deduction . 3. federal tax expense on deemed repatriation of foreign earnings ( $ 1.3 million ) , partially offset by revaluation of the deferred tax balances ( $ 0.9 million ) as a result of a reduction in the federal tax rate from tax law changes enacted in 2017 . 2016 : 1. recognition of approximately $ 2.6 million of 2016 u.s. r & d tax credits . 2. permanent differences , primarily the impact of the domestic production activities deduction . 2015 : 1. recognition of approximately $ 2.6 million of 2015 u.s. r & d tax credits . 2. permanent differences , primarily the impact of the domestic production activities deduction . 2018 outlook we expect consolidated sales in 2018 to be between $ 745.0 million and $ 815.0 million . our consolidated backlog at december 31 , 2017 was $ 393.7 million of which approximately $ 346.7 million is expected to ship in 2018 . we expect our capital equipment spending in 2018 to be in the range of $ 24.0 million to $ 28.0 million . e & d spending in 2018 is expected to be in the range of $ 110.0 million to $ 115.0 million including the acquired businesses , which represents approximately 14.4 % of sales at the mid-point of the expected sales range . segment results of operations and outlook operating profit , as presented below , is sales less cost of products sold and other operating expenses excluding interest expense , corporate expenses and other non-operating revenue and expenses . cost of products sold and operating expenses are directly attributable to the respective segment . operating profit is reconciled to earnings before income taxes in note 17 of item 8 , financial statements and supplementary data , of this report . aerospace segment replace_table_token_7_th 2017 2016 total assets $ 621,047 $ 500,892 backlog $ 298,604 $ 219,146 22 replace_table_token_8_th replace_table_token_9_th 2017 compared with 2016 aerospace segment sales increased by $ 0.6 million , or 0.1 % , to $ 534.6 million , when compared with the prior year , primarily due to the addition of the acquired businesses which added $ 15.5 million . electrical power & motion sales decreased $ 24.2 million , or 8.4 % , due to lower sales of cabin power products due to a combination of lower volume and pricing . systems certifications sales decreased $ 2.2 million and other products decreased $ 1.0 million from lower project activity . these declines were offset by increased avionics sales , up $ 21.2 million of which $ 15.0 million was from the acquired businesses and $ 5.3 million was from increased sales of databus and in-flight entertainment systems . structures sales increased by $ 5.0 million . aerospace operating profit for 2017 was $ 38.9 million , or 7.3 % of sales , compared with $ 78.0 million , or 14.6 % of sales , in the same period last year . aerospace operating profit was negatively impacted by lower sales volume and market pricing pressures primarily related to cabin power products , coupled with the $ 16.2 million goodwill impairment at armstrong and an operating loss of $ 8.4 million from ccc . e & d costs for aerospace were $ 85.3 million ( inclusive of $ 5.6 million related to the acquired businesses ) and $ 78.5 million in 2017 and 2016 , respectively . 2016 compared with 2015 aerospace segment sales decreased by $ 15.7 million , or 2.9 % , when compared with the prior year to $ 534.0 million . electrical power & motion sales increased $ 8.7 million , or 3.1 % , largely driven by higher sales of in-seat power products and seat motion products , which were up $ 7.0 million and $ 4.3 million , respectively . sales of structures products were up $ 4.5 million . these increases were offset by a $ 23.4 million decline in avionics products , which was largely due to lower sales of satellite antenna systems and lower vvip in-flight entertainment/cabin management systems , and a $ 4.8 million decrease in system certification sales . aerospace operating profit for 2016 was $ 78.0 million , or 14.6 % of sales , compared with $ 85.1 million , or 15.5 % of sales , in the same period last year . the decrease in operating profit was the result of lower sales volume , coupled with slightly higher e & d costs and a general increase in operating costs . e & d costs for aerospace were $ 78.5 million and $ 77.9 million in 2016 and 2015 , respectively . aerospace sg & a expense decreased slightly to $ 60.0 million in 2016 , compared with $ 60.1 million in 2015 . 2018 outlook for aerospace – we

