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Energy

3 eVTOL Companies to Watch in 2024: Archer Aviation, Joby Aviation, and Lilium

Archer Aviation, Joby Aviation, and Lilium are three electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft manufacturers that are making major progress in this growing new area of aviation right now. In this episode of the Aerospace & Defense Technology podcast, we highlight some of the latest business agreements, international expansion and regulatory progress being made by these three eVTOL companies. Listen now.

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Mechanical & Fluid Systems

Boeing Adopts New Airplane Manufacturing Quality and Safety Metrics

Boeing has published a new 11-page summary of actions being implemented to prevent airplane manufacturing quality and safety issues such as those that led to the in-flight...

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Design

Four Companies to Design Air Force Enterprise Test Drone Prototypes

The U.S. Air Force Armament Directorate (AFLCMC/EB) and the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) have partnered to identify and prototype commercial and dual-use technology...

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Defense

Ursa Major Performs First Successful Hotfire of Hypersonic Draper Engine

Ursa Major announced the successful hotfire of its 4,000-pound thrust closed catalyst cycle hypersonic Draper engine at the company’s Colorado headquarters. The...

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Podcasts
Manned Systems

The Future of eVTOL Battery Technology

Ronnie Tao, Vice President of Business Development for Amprius Technologies, joins the Aerospace & Defense Technology podcast to discuss the AIBOT battery selection and what to expect in the future development of eVTOL battery technology. He also explains how far most eVTOLs can fly on Amprius and other comparable aircraft batteries today.

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Articles
Connectivity

Digital Twinning and Protecting Controlled Unclassified Information

Creating a digital twin is not just a technical feat; it is a strategic imperative that touches every facet of modern business. From security to sovereignty and from trust to ethics, the decisions made today about digital twin architecture will reverberate long into the future. Read on to learn more.

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Application Briefs
Manufacturing & Prototyping

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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Application Briefs
Software

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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Briefs
Aerospace

‘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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Briefs
Materials

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
Electronics & Computers

A New Approach to Assessing the Quality of Aerospace Components

In a study, published in the Journal Waves in Random and Complex Media, researchers from the University of Bristol have derived a formula that can inform the design boundaries for a given component’s geometry and material microstructure.

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Articles
Electronics & Computers

Pioneering Space Communication with Terrestrial Know-How

For design engineers venturing into the non-terrestrial domain, it is important to partner with a company that not only understands the importance of extensive and rigorous testing, but also possesses the capability for efficient mass production of components.

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Articles
Design

Aitiip Integrates Freeform Injection Molding to Lower Weight and Reduce Production Costs

Aitiip is a leading Spanish research and development institute and serves companies in the aeronautics, automation, industrial, and packaging sectors. The institute possesses strong platforms for the characterization of materials and processes and is known as a powerful integrator of technologies, which is constantly on the lookout for the next transformative technology.

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Design

ESA’s Future Low Earth Orbit Cargo Return Service Spacecraft

The European Space Agency (ESA) has signed a new €25 million contract with Thales Alenia Space to demonstrate a complete cargo delivery service to and from space stations in...

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Aerospace

German Air Force Starts Flight Testing New Heron ISR Drone

The German Air Force has started a six month flight testing program with its new German Heron Turboprop (TP) drone, according to recent updates published by Airbus and the...

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Aerospace

Airbus Launches Cryoprop to Demonstrate Future of Hydrogen-Powered Aircraft

Airbus UpNext, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Airbus, has launched a new technological demonstrator to accelerate the maturation of superconducting technologies for...

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Design

Air Force Researchers Design, Build and Fly Drone in 24 Hours

In an open area of the Eglin Air Force Base range known as B-70, a group of Air Force field grade officers and black-shirted innovators huddled together above an eight-pound...

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Aerospace

Boeing Starliner Launch Delayed to Test Helium Leak Repair

Boeing, NASA and United Launch Alliance (ULA) are targeting a May 21 launch date for the crewed flight test of the Starliner spacecraft to the International Space Station (ISS).

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Aerospace

Directed Energy Deposition Enables Rocket Engine Additive Manufacturing Breakthrough

The Air Force Research Laboratory's (AFRL) Rocket Propulsion Division recently designed, printed, built and hot fired a first-ever, single-block...

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Weapons Systems

UK Selects Companies for New Domestic Hypersonic Development Framework

The U.K. Ministry of Defence (MoD) has selected 90 companies and organizations from across its domestic industry and academic landscape to compete for contracts that...

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Communications

Millennium Space to Build Eight 'FOO Fighter' SDA Satellites

The Space Development Agency (SDA) issued a $414 million contract to Millennium Space Systems, Inc., to build eight new satellites as part of the Proliferated Warfighter Space...

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Aerospace

FAA Adopts New Aircraft Engine Emission Standards for Non-Volatile Particulate Matter

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) adopted a new rule that will set a limit on carbon particles emitted by subsonic aircraft engines, according to...

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Articles
Aerospace

What’s the Best DC Motor for Your Commercial Aerospace Application?

This article presents common commercial aerospace applications that pose performance and environmental challenges for DC motors along with a summary of the stringent aerospace industry standards that the motors must satisfy.

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Application Briefs
Manufacturing & Prototyping

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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Briefs
Manufacturing & Prototyping

Evaluation of Additively Manufactured Ultrahard Steels

Recent advances in both alloy development and additive manufacturing have enabled the production of ultrahigh-strength steels in near net shape parts.

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Briefs
Energy

NRL Scientists Deliver Quantum Algorithm to Develop New Materials and Chemistry

U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) scientists published the Cascaded Variational Quantum Eigensolver (CVQE) algorithm in a recent Physical Review Research article, which is expected to become a powerful tool to investigate the physical properties in electronic systems.

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Briefs
Electronics & Computers

Researchers Help Robots Navigate Efficiently in Uncertain Environments

MIT researchers developed a method that could help this robot efficiently reason about the best routes to its destination.

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Articles
Materials

Expanding Possibilities for Superconducting Qubits With Niobium

A group led by Stanford University’s David Schuster has demonstrated a way to create niobium-based qubits that rival their state-of-the-art counterparts.

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Articles
Manned Systems

Pushing the Limits: Engineering Advanced RF Interconnects to Meet the Challenges of Hypersonic Missile Development

Times Microwave Systems has developed a wide range of emerging technologies that eliminate the gap between standard material limitations and hypersonic missile demands.

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