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Manned Systems

Hydrogen Won't Accept 'No' for an Answer

Most outsiders to the transportation industry don’t know much about rapid developments in hydrogen fuel-cell and hydrogen internal-combustion. There just aren’t the large-scale commercial and...

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Technical Innovation
Unmanned Systems

CES 2025: Oshkosh Puts AI, Autonomy and Electrification to Work

A multi-brand global company that serves several different industries marked its debut at one of the world’s largest technology exhibitions by highlighting its...

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Application Briefs
Aerospace

MUSHER Demonstrates Manned-Unmanned Aircraft Teaming Applications

Airbus Helicopters and its partners conducted a full scale demonstration of a manned-unmanned teaming (MUM-T) system developed as part of a project funded by the European Union and code-named “MUSHER.” The demonstration took place in France and Italy from Sept. 30 – Oct. 9, and involved multiple manned helicopters and unmanned systems connected to a single MUM-T network. Read on to learn more.

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Application Briefs
Communications

Australian Air Surveillance Radar Upgrade

Sensor solutions provider Hensoldt has signed a contract with Space Centre Australia to deliver two high-performance Air Surveillance Radar - Next Generation systems (ASR-NG), along with a 20-year sustainment plan to bolster Australia’s critical air surveillance capabilities. Read on to learn more.

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Application Briefs
Weapons Systems

Autonomous Air Defense Production

Anduril Industries has been awarded a $249,978,466 contract to deliver advanced air defense capabilities across services for the Department of Defense (DoD). This contract will deliver more than 500 Roadrunner-Ms and additional Pulsar electronic warfare capabilities, addressing the growing threat of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) attacks against U.S. forces. Read on to learn more.

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Application Briefs
Unmanned Systems

Enabling Off-the-Shelf Autonomous Naval Warfare

The Navy is actively exploring emerging technologies that enable uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs) and uncrewed surface vehicles (USVs) to extend the range of its communications and electronic warfare (EW) capabilities. Read on to learn more about it.

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Technical Innovation
Manned Systems

Shell’s Starship 3.0 NG Shines a Bright Light on Efficient Powertrain and Aero Tech

Innovation often comes a piece at a time, but what happens when you put all those pieces together at once? That is precisely the question Shell is...

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Articles
Weapons Systems

Cutting-Edge Drone Killer Radio Wave Weapon Developing at Pace

Delivered by Team Hersa, the Radio Frequency Directed Energy Weapon can detect, track and engage a range of threats across land, air and sea. The system uses radio waves to disrupt or damage critical electronic components inside enemy platforms, such as drones, causing them to stop in their tracks or fall out of the sky. Read on to learn more.

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Articles
Unmanned Systems

How Next-Generation Edge Computers Will Shape Drone Warfare

Drones – or uncrewed aerial systems, as they are known by the military – have become ubiquitous in most armed forces around the world. Across all domains, drones employ a range of sensors. Read on to learn more about how next-gen edge computers will advance them.

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Articles
Energy

Improving Battery Design for eVTOL Aircraft With Simulation

Batteries for eVTOL aircraft need to deliver high power for efficient takeoff and landing, as well as high energy for the cruise period. To meet these demands, designers must consider the power–energy tradeoff of batteries and integrate a reliable battery management system into the overall design. Read on to learn more.

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Application Briefs
Unmanned Systems

The New Airbus Wingman Aircraft

Airbus presented a new prototype Wingman concept aircraft at the 2024 International Aerospace Exhibition ILA in Berlin. Read on to learn all about it.

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Application Briefs
Aerospace

Morphing Aircraft Systems

Inspired by natural phenomena, a Purdue research team is developing morphing systems for hypersonic vehicles that respond to their environment.

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Application Briefs
Aerospace

Lilium Starts Production of eVTOL Jet Batteries

The company describes its battery back as comprised of lithium-ion cells with silicon-dominant anodes that will allow for higher energy, power, and fast-charging capabilities than graphite anode cells. The battery packs are being designed to meet EASA’s aircraft safety requirements.

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Briefs
Propulsion

New Research on Noise Reduction for Next Generation Aircraft Engines

A study published in Journal of Fluid Mechanics, reveals for the first time how noise is generated and propagated from these engines, technically known as boundary layer ingesting (BLI) ducted fans.

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Briefs
Manned Systems

‘Nanostitches’ Enable Lighter and Tougher Composite Materials

To save on fuel and reduce aircraft emissions, engineers are looking to build lighter, stronger airplanes out of advanced composites. These engineered materials are made from high-performance fibers that are embedded in polymer sheets. The sheets can be stacked and pressed into one multilayered material and made into extremely lightweight and durable structures.

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Application Briefs
Data Acquisition

UAV In-Flight Software Upgrades

During a recent demonstration, Collins Aerospace and Parasanti proved they could use UAVs to install software upgrades on other UAVs to update them in-flight.

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Technology Report
Power

UAE Previews Autonomous Future at DriftX

Publicly available autonomous vehicles have been operating in Abu Dhabi since 2021, providing over 16,000 rides covering more than 300,000 km (186,400 miles). If the organizers and supporters of the...

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Application Briefs
Design

Airbus to Fly Prototype eVTOL This Year

The CityAirbus NextGen prototype electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft made its public debut during an unveiling ceremony in Donauwörth, Germany on March 7, 2024.

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Application Briefs
Aerospace

Flight Testing Microvanes and Riblets

The Air Force Operational Energy Office (SAF/IE), the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC), and the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) have partnered together in seeking well-developed, commercially viable technologies to reduce drag, and therefore fuel consumption, on a number of USAF legacy aircraft, including the C-17 Globemaster III, C-130 Hercules, and KC-135 Stratotanker.

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Articles
Unmanned Systems

Advances in Multi-UAV Operations

As technology matures and operational concepts evolve, MUM-T missions, synchronized flights, and the corresponding required advances in UAV flight control systems will undoubtedly become cornerstones of modern military strategies.

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Articles
Unmanned Systems

RF-Cyber for Counter-UAS

Enabling the emerging associated drone-powered economy will require a new generation of counter-drone or counter-unmanned aircraft systems (CUAS) to support the growth of safe and secure drone adoption.

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Application Briefs
Aerospace

New Satellite Connectivity for Air Force Research Aircraft

Intelsat will supply new satellite connectivity terminals on several different U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) aircraft, according to a Feb. 14 announcement by the satellite network operator.

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Briefs
Electronics & Computers

AI Co-Pilot Enhances Human Precision for Safer Aviation

Meet the Air-Guardian, a system developed by researchers at the MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory. As modern pilots grapple with an onslaught of information from multiple monitors, especially during critical moments, Air-Guardian acts as a proactive copilot.

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Q&A
Electronics & Computers

Q&A: Owl AI Making Better ADAS Systems with Help from Drones

Owl AI has steadily been improving the SWaP-C (Size, Weight, Power and Cost) of the electronics in its thermal camera sensors while also improving capability. The company’s...

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Articles
Energy

Approximating the Material Stresses and System Requirements for Hypersonic Flight

The challenges associated with hypersonic flight are significant in that the drag forces, temperatures, and heat flux put large demands on materials. First and foremost is managing the exposure to high temperatures that will be in excess of 1,000 °C.

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Briefs
Unmanned Systems

New Method to Measure Wind Speed Could Unlock Drones’ Potential

Dr. Marc Compere, associate professor of Mechanical Engineering at Embry-Riddle’s Daytona Beach Campus, recently described a new approach to measuring wind effects.

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Briefs
Aerospace

Report on Human Factors Issues Likely to Affect Air-Launched Effects

Air-Launched Effects (ALEs) are a concept for operating small, inexpensive, attritable, and highly autonomous unmanned aerial systems that can be tube launched from aircraft.

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Application Briefs
Manned Systems

Hybrid Electric Aircraft Demonstrator

After several years of travelling between Tarbes and Toulouse on a regular basis to oversee EcoPulse’s development, Airbus Project Leader William Llobregat found himself back onsite in November 2023 with his team, and those of Daher and Safran. The occasion? The first EcoPulse test flight.

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Application Briefs
Materials

Cold Spray Technology

Naval Air Systems CommandNaval Air Station North Island, CA(619) 545-3415www.navair.navy.mil In the realm of naval aviation maintenance, repair, and overhaul, a transformative technology is taking flight. At the heart...

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