Vehicles - Tech Blog
Lockheed Martin building spacecraft For InSight Mars lander
Lockheed Martin Space Systems Co. in Denver has been selected to build and operate the InSight spacecraft. The Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport (InSight) mission, led by principal investigator Bruce Banerdt of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and managed by JPL. Targeted for launch in 2016, the InSight lander would reach the Red Planet later that year and land at Elysium Planitia, a large flat area near the planet's equator. The InSight lander will install a seismograph and heat flow probe into the Martian surface. By using sophisticated geophysical instruments, InSight will delve deep beneath the surface of Mars, detecting the fingerprints of the processes of terrestrial planet formation, as well as measuring the planet's seismology, heat flow probe, and precision tracking.
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An artist rendition of the proposed InSight lander is shown. InSight is based on the proven Phoenix Mars spacecraft and lander design with avionics from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter and Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory missions.
Ukraine cooperates with Russia on $4 billion AN-70 project
Ukrainian company Antonov together with Russian United Aircraft Corp. will participate in manufacturing Antonov An-70 transport airplanes. Russian defense ministry already placed an order for 60 such machines, $67 million apiece. Developed since 1978, An-70 can carry heavier cargo than existing transport planes and land on ill-equipped runways. An-70 can carry 300 troopers, or 200 injured persons, or 47 ton of freight. Comparably, the closest alternative to the An-70—Airbus A400M Atlas—can carry 37 ton of cargo. The An-70 planes will be produced at JSC Gorbunov Kazan Aviation Production Association in Kazan, Russia. The plane can fly at a speed of 780 km/h at distances of up to 7800 km. An-70 is capable of landing on 600- to 800-m runways with earth surfaces. Onboard navigation equipment allows the plane to land and take off at airports lacking special earth-based equipment.
New IIHS test aims to increase protection in frontal crashes
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has raised the bar with its new small overlap frontal crash test. With a 50th percentile male Hybrid III dummy in the driver seat, 25% of the car’s front end on the driver side strikes a 5-ft-tall rigid barrier at 40 mph. These small overlap crashes, which affect the outer edges not protected by crush-zone structures, are responsible for a considerable percentage of the 10,000 deaths in frontal crashes each year. The test utilizes three rating categories: structure, restraints and kinematics, and dummy injury measures. Of the vehicles tested, the Volvo S60 performed the best, permitting only a few inches of intrusion into the occupant compartment due to reinforcement of the upper rails and a steel cross member below the instrument panel. Common problems with other vehicles included high occupant compartment intrusion and unsafe occupant motion, including dummies that missed the airbag or moved too far forward toward the A-pillar. After 2013, the IIHS intends to add the small overlap frontal crash test to its list of evaluations for the Top Safety Pick award.
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Of the 11 midsize luxury and near-luxury cars tested, only three scored good or acceptable in the new small overlap frontal crash test from IIHS.
Ford reaches top electric-only speed with C-MAX Energi
Ford claims that its new C-MAX Energi plug-in hybrid vehicle delivers a top speed of 85 mph (137 km/h) at the touch of a button, topping the Toyota Prius by more than 20 mph (32 km/h). This allows Ford’s first plug-in hybrid to easily keep up with the flow of traffic, even when the gasoline engine is off. “We understand customers place a high value on the zero-emission electrified driving experience,” said Ford Vice President of Powertrain Engineering Joe Bakaj. “This inspired our engineering team to equip the C-MAX Energi plug-in hybrid with a button that enables drivers to choose an electric-only driving mode.” The EV mode button, located in the center stack, provides drivers with three modes to choose from. At EV: Auto, the C-MAX Energi operates as a full hybrid using both the electric battery and the engine; EV: Now runs the vehicle in EV mode, using only plug-in power; and EV: Later utilizes the gasoline engine and saves plug-in power for later use, such as transitioning from highway to town. “C-MAX Energi uses technology in new ways to provide customers smart choices in maximizing their energy usage based on where and how they drive their vehicles,” said Bakaj.
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C-MAX Energi drivers can choose from three EV modes with the touch of a button.
Raytheon awarded $636 million for Exoatmospheric Kill Vehicle
Raytheon Co. was awarded a $636 million development and sustainment contract to provide the Exoatmospheric Kill Vehicle (EKV) to The Boeing Co., which is the prime contractor for the Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD) program. EKV represents the centerpiece for the Missile Defense Agency's GMD as the intercept component of the Ground Based Interceptor, which is designed to engage high-speed ballistic missile warheads in space. Under conditions of the contract, which extends through November 2018, Raytheon will provide EKV development, fielding, testing, system engineering, integration, configuration management, equipment manufacturing and refurbishment, and operation and sustainment. The EKV is designed to destroy incoming ballistic missile threats by colliding with them, a concept often described as "hit to kill." EKV has an advanced multi-color sensor that is used to detect and discriminate incoming warheads from other objects. it also has its own propulsion, communications link, discrimination algorithms, guidance and control system, and computers to support target selection and intercept.
Sikorsky signs contract to build H-60 helicopters for U.S. Army, Navy
The U.S. Army and Navy signed an $8.5 billion contract with Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. to buy a baseline quantity of 653 Black Hawk and Seahawk helicopters through December 2017. The five-year contract will yield significant savings compared with purchasing the same quantity across five separate annual agreements. The five-year agreement also allows the Army and Navy to order as many as 263 more aircraft within the same contractual terms. If exercised, the optional purchases could push the contract value as high as $11.7 billion. Actual production quantities will be determined year-by-year over the life of the program based on funding allocations set by Congress and Pentagon acquisition priorities. Black Hawk and Seahawk aircraft deliveries under the new contract will begin this month. Sikorsky produces the two H-60M Black Hawk and two MH-60 Seahawk aircraft models on four separate production lines at its final assembly facility in Stratford, CT, and West Palm Beach, FL.
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The base contract includes UH-60M utility and HH-60M MEDEVAC helicopters for the U.S. Army, and MH-60R (shown) and MH-60S helicopters for the U.S. Navy.
Honda Fit EV is new fuel-economy king (video)
At 118 MPGe (miles per gallon equivalent), the MY2013 Honda Fit EV is tops in fuel economy among models sold in the U.S. It has a U.S. EPA consumption rating of just 29 kW·h/100 mi and an estimated range of 82 mi—more than that of the Ford Focus Electric (105 MPGe, 76 mi), Nissan Leaf (99 MPGe, 73 mi), and Mitsubishi i (112 MPGe, 62 mi). EPA-estimated annual "fuel" cost is $500. The 118 MPGe figure breaks down into 132 city and 105 highway. The 20-kW·h lithium-ion battery can be recharged in less than 3 h at 240 V. The car is designed to the SAE J1772 connector standard for battery recharging.(Watch a video of Fit EV charging here.)
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GE accelerates growth in mining equipment with two planned acquisitions
GE announced in mid-May that it is pursuing acquisitions of two underground mining equipment manufacturers in support of the global expansion of its mining business. GE has entered into an agreement to acquire 100% of Australia-based Industrea Ltd., a provider of safety and productivity-enhancing mining equipment and services. The transaction, valued at approximately A$700 million, is subject to Industrea shareholder approval. Its shareholders will vote on the offer in the second half of 2012, and GE expects the transaction to close later in 2012. The company also signed a binding Letter of Intent to acquire Fairchild International, an independently owned and operated underground mining equipment manufacturer located in Glen Lyn, VA. The transaction with Fairchild is expected to close in the third quarter of 2012; terms of the agreement were not disclosed. GE says that the two manufacturers are well positioned in dynamic growth regions for mining, including Australia, China (Industrea), and the U.S. (Fairchild). Both companies will become part of GE Transportation’s global mining business and will benefit from GE’s clean propulsion systems, energy-storage offerings, and system integration capabilities.
Navistar Defense, partners unveil Special Operations Tactical Vehicle
Navistar Defense LLC, Indigen Armor, and SAIC recently unveiled the team’s Special Operations Tactical Vehicle for the U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) Ground Mobility Vehicle (GMV) 1.1 program. The vehicle is built on Indigen Armor’s proven Non-Standard Tactical Truck (NSTT) platform and designed to be its modular and overt tactical equivalent. The team’s Special Operations Tactical Vehicle is transportable in an armored and mission-ready state on an M/CH-47 helicopter. The vehicle, which is designed for maximum off-road speed and mobility for a variety of terrain found in desert, jungle, mountain, and arctic environments, incorporates a full government furnished Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (C4ISR) suite. The Special Operations Tactical Vehicle chassis, suspension, powertrain, and armored occupant safety cell were engineered to carry large payloads in three-, five, and seven-man variants. The scalable armor packages meet multiple threat levels and accommodate a variety of low-profile and overt tactical body styles, which allow the vehicle’s profile to be changed at the crew level.
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The team’s Special Operations Tactical Vehicle is built on Indigen Armor’s proven Non-Standard Tactical Truck (NSTT) platform and designed to be its modular, overt tactical equivalent.
Fiat to team with Mazda on new MX-5-based roadster
Mazda Motor Corp. and Fiat Group Automobiles S.p.A. have signed a nonbinding memorandum of understanding (MOU) for the development and manufacture of a new roadster for the Mazda and Alfa Romeo marques based on Mazda’s next-generation MX-5 rear-wheel-drive architecture. The MOU is expected to be finalized in the second half of 2012 and would result in two distinctly styled models, one each for the Mazda and Alfa Romeo brands. The two automakers would supply their own engines. Assembly would take place at Mazda’s plant in Hiroshima, Japan, with production for the Alfa Romeo model starting in 2015. The companies have also agreed to discuss other potential opportunities for cooperation in Europe. Mazda claims the MX-5 is the best-selling roadster of all time.
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Mazda says the MX-5 is the best-selling roadster of all time.
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