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Briefs
Aerospace

Influence of Leading-Edge Oscillatory Blowing on Time-Accurate Dynamic Store Separation

Developing an understanding of, and potentially controlling, pitch bifurcation could improve weapons delivery.

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News
Power

Boeing and NASA Unveil Lightweight, Ultra-Thin, More Aerodynamic Transonic Truss-Braced Wing Concept

Engineers at Boeing and NASA are collaborating on a lightweight, ultra-thin Transonic Truss-Braced Wing (TTBW) concept, designed to be...

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Articles
Software

Designing a High-Speed Decoy Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV)

Drone aircraft and their uses have been evolving quickly, supported by a great deal of ongoing research. One area of increasing interest is the decoy drone, designed to mimic the...

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Articles
Aerospace

Aeroacoustic Simulation Delivers Breakthroughs in Aircraft Noise Reduction

Aircraft manufacturers face increasingly stringent standards for reducing community noise. Conventional aircraft development methods based on engineering experience,...

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Articles
Defense

Rotorcraft Icing Computational Tool Development

The formation of ice over lifting surfaces can affect aerodynamic performance. In the case of helicopters, this loss in lift and the increase in sectional drag forces will have a dramatic...

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Technology Update
Defense

ETS researchers develop new methodology for wind tunnel calibration

In recent years, the École de Technologie Supérieure (ETS) Research Laboratory in Active Controls, Avionics, and Aeroservoelasticity (LARCASE) has acquired several...

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Briefs
Manufacturing & Prototyping

Micro-Propulsion Devices Made of Low-Temperature Co-Fired Ceramics

In the satellite industry, the trend is towards decreasing the size of satellites and clustering of small satellites. Technological advancements in microelectronics have made it more economical to launch a cluster of satellites with a single vehicle rather than the traditional...

Briefs
Physical Sciences

Characterizing Turbulent Wind Flow Near a Wind Barrier Using Sonic Anemometers

The Holloman High Speed Test Track (HHSTT) facility at Holloman Air Force Base (HAFB), NM, has a test section of 1.8 km that contains an artificial rain field...

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Briefs
Information Technology

Overcoming Obstacles to DoD Software Technology Transition

The term "Software Wind Tunnel" (SWiT) denotes an institution proposed to be established as a means of overcoming obstacles that, heretofore, have impeded technology transition in...

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Briefs
Materials

Alloys for Nozzles of Hypersonic Wind Tunnels

Alloys are being developed for nozzles of hypersonic wind tunnels to be used in testing components of future hypersonic missiles, aircraft, and space transportation systems. The nozzle components...

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Briefs
Materials

Polymeric “Smart” Skin Materials

"Smart” skin materials based, variously, on polymers, dendrimers, carbon nanotubes, and/or other tailored molecular components are being developed for use as conformal coating surfaces of mechanical structures, including those of aircraft, to impart enhanced functionality to the coated surfaces. As used...

Briefs
Mechanical & Fluid Systems

Blended Wing Body Aircraft

Scientists from Boeing Phantom Works, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and AFRL are testing a new aircraft with the potential to realize up to 30% better fuel efficiency because of its...

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Briefs
Mechanical & Fluid Systems

Improved Accuracy of Computational Fluid Dynamics Calculations

Understanding how air flows over the surfaces of an air vehicle can help AFRL designers maximize the vehicle's performance and minimize its cost. AFRL scientists recently...

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Briefs
Mechanical & Fluid Systems

AFRL Proves Feasibility of Plasma Actuators

AFRL is laying the groundwork for the development of revolutionary hypersonic aerospace vehicles (see Figure 1). Accordingly, AFRL engineers are examining the feasibility of replacing an air...

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Briefs
Mechanical & Fluid Systems

AFRL Finding Ways to Decrease Unmanned Air Vehicle Costs

In support of the Aeronautical Systems Center's (ASC) Global Hawk Systems Group, AFRL has undertaken a program to study manufacturing tolerances for laminar flow on aircraft wings. On...

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Briefs
Manufacturing & Prototyping

Rapid Model Fabrication for Responsive Aerodynamic Experimental Research

Technicians machine traditional metal wind tunnel models in a process that can span months. Although these models are highly precise, the meticulously slow...

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Briefs
Mechanical & Fluid Systems

Active Flow Control Demonstrated on “Airborne Wind Tunnel”

AFRL engineers, collaborating with aerospace manufacturers and other Air Force groups, recently demonstrated the first-ever airborne active flow control system when they...

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