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Briefs

Test & Measurement

Development of a 94 GHz Radar System for Dedicated Bird Detection at Airports and Airfields

BIRDAR™ detected small birds at distances of 1.2 to 1.3 km and large birds.

Articles

Materials

Developing Thermoplastic Composites for Use in Commercial Aircraft

Thermoplastic composite materials (TPC) are gaining momentum for use in commercial airplanes and other aerospace applications, including electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft.

Articles

Energy

Designing Connectivity Solutions for an Electric Aircraft Future

Learn how to take on a “follow-the-wire” design approach.

Application Briefs

Defense

Deployable – Instrument Landing System

Thales GroupCedex, France+ 33(0)1 57 77 86 26www.thalesgroup.com The United States Air Force's (USAF) activities to establish air superiority and support ground combat units often require the use of...

Application Briefs

Defense

Aircraft Parachute Recovery Systems

BRS AerospaceSouth St. Paul, MN651-457-7491www.brsaerospace.com BRS Aerospace has engaged Wichita State University's National Institute for Aviation Research (WSU-NIAR) to develop testing protocols for...

Briefs

RF & Microwave Electronics

Synthetic Aperture Radar for Helicopter Landing in Degraded Visual Environments

The development of sensors to assist helicopter landing in degraded visual environments (DVEs) is currently an important US Army requirement addressing the...

Articles

Software

Engine Air-Brakes

Airplanes, one of humanity's greatest inventions, evoke feelings of awe and amazement for most people, unless you live uncomfortably close to a major airport, in which case the feeling may become annoyance and irritation....

Application Briefs

Defense

Commando Helicopter

Leonardo-Finmeccanica Rome, Italy +39 06 32473313www.leonardocompany.com/ Leonardo-Finmeccanica announced recently that the first AgustaWestland AW101 Merlin Mk4 successfully completed its maiden flight at its Yeovil...

Application Briefs

Defense

Touchscreen Tablet Mission System

Inzpire Lincolnshire, UK +44 1522 688 231www.inzpire.com GECO, from UK-based Inzpire, is a military grade rugged touchscreen tablet mission system that is currently in frontline operational use with the British...

Briefs

Aerospace

Exo-Brake Enables Safe Return for Small Spacecraft

Technology Update

Defense

Signal Compression Technology Enables E-Fan's Flight, Potential Enhanced 'Black Box' Possibilities

V-Nova Ltd. demonstrated the capabilities of its PERSEUS data compression technology for aerospace applications as part of Airbus’ all-electric...

Articles

Aerospace

Let the Good Times Continue to Roll

It is hard to imagine just how radical the change in fortunes for the world’s major commercial aerospace manufacturers has been in the last few years. Just ten years ago the smart money in aerospace pointed...

Articles

Aerospace

Big Data, Aircraft, and a Better Future

The hype phrase today is “Big Data.” It is a phrase Mark Bünger, Research Director for Lux Research, believes can have a number of definitions depending on who is doing the defining. Bünger was...

Application Briefs

Defense

Vertical Take-Off and Landing UAV

The Air Force has announced that the MLB V-Bat Vertical Take-Off and Landing (VTOL) UAV from the MLB Company (Sunnyvale, CA) has been selected for a Phase II SBIR award. The military branch seeks a vehicle that...

Articles

Aerospace

Testing Ethernet Based Avionics in Aircraft

Since the 1970’s, military aircraft avionics systems have communicated via the MIL-STD-1553 bus. This has proven to be a very effective method, and is still in widespread use today. MIL-STD-1553 is...

Articles

Robotics, Automation & Control

Micro Air Vehicles Serve as Eyes in the Sky for Ground Troops

Honeywell Aerospace has developed the Micro Air Vehicle (MAV), an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) based on ducted-fan technology that recently was deployed in Iraq to identify...

Briefs

Aerospace

Near-Precision Soft Landing Resupply Dispenser

AFRL munitions experts teamed with engineers from Systima Technologies, Inc., under a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contract to develop a Covert Resupply (COVRES) dispenser. The team...

Briefs

Unmanned Systems

Unmanned SkyTote Demonstrates Capabilities

AFRL scientists are working on SkyTote, a novel unmanned air vehicle (UAV) that will take off and land vertically like a helicopter (see figure) but also transition into horizontal flight like a...

Briefs

Materials

Fire-Resistant Hydraulic Fluid

An AFRL-developed fire-resistant hydraulic fluid recently completed a B-52 flight test, and based on successful test results, systems engineers from Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center (OC-ALC) will adopt the fluid...

Briefs

Materials

Innovative Processes Strengthen F-15E Vertical Stabilizers

AFRL materials engineers resolved a potentially serious problem that affects the operational life of F-15E vertical stabilizers. Working with engineers from Warner Robins Air Logistics...