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Stratolaunch all-composite aircraft achieves first flight

2019-04-15

Stratolaunch Systems Corp., founded by Paul G. Allen, in Seattle, Washington, has completed the first flight of the Stratolaunch, the world’s largest all-composite aircraft, with a dual-fuselage design and wingspan greater than the length of an American football field. The Stratolaunch aircraft took flight on April 13 at 0658 PDT from the Mojave Air & Space Port in Mojave, California; achieved a maximum speed of 189 miles per hour; and flew for 2.5 hours over the Mojave Desert at altitudes up to 17,000 feet. 

Article

General Atomics moves towards global RPA flight certification for MQ-9B SkyGuardian

2019-04-10

A General Atomics Aeronautical System, Inc. (GA-ASI) MQ-9B SkyGuardian remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) was controlled – from takeoff to landing – by an operator using a GA-ASI certifiable ground control station (CGCS), marking the first time a CGCS was used to control an end-to-end flight and the first step in type-certifying the unit.

Article

Sensuron enables real-time structural health monitoring onboard NASA’s X-56 UAV

2019-04-04

In contrast to the stiff, rigid wings found on most commercial aircraft, flexible wing technology is considered essential to next generation, fuel efficient aircraft. However, flexible wings are susceptible to “flutter,” or highly destructive aeroelastic instability. To better understand and mitigate flutter, engineers at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center (AFRC) equipped the X-56 with fiber optic sensing (FOS) technology.

Article

Airbus’ connected cabin concept is materializing with first round of partnerships

2019-04-03

Airbus SE is shifting its Connected Experience cabin concept into the first stages of reality with cooperative buy-in from gategroup Holding AG, Stelia Aerospace, and Recaro Aircraft Seating. Up until the partnership announcement, Airbus had been collecting extensive market feedback and refining its Internet of Things (IoT) approach to aircraft interiors, with real-time interconnected galleys, in-flight service carts, seats, and overhead bins.

Article

Abaco’s new avionics platforms transfer data up to 40Gbps with Thunderbolt 3 connectivity

2019-04-02

Abaco Systems Inc. is launching a new family of avionics devices for test and simulation, development, and dataloading that feature Thunderbolt 3 interfaces. The new portable, high-speed, low-latency avionics devices – RCEI-830A-TB and QPM-1553-TB – are designed for a broad range of avionics applications and include Thunderbolt 3-to-PMC/XMC interfacing with ARINC 429 and MIL-STD-1553 protocols.

Article

Sikorsky-Boeing’s FVL contender takes flight

2019-03-25

The Sikorsky-Boeing SB-1 Defiant (stylized as “SB>1 DEFIANT”) compound helicopter flew for the first time at Sikorsky’s West Palm Beach, Florida facility. Unlike current rotorcraft, the SB-1 Defiant’s propulsion system includes a rear-mounted pusher propulsor in addition to two coaxial main rotors. This unique setup allows the Defiant to reach speeds and a service range far beyond that of modern helicopters.

Article

AIA predicts flying air taxis, supersonic air travel, and space industry for 2050

2019-03-15

In the “What’s Next for Aerospace and Defense: A Vision for 2050” study, AIA, New York City-based McKinsey & Company, and other industry partners reveal a comprehensive 30-year, Industry 4.0 forecast of air travel and spaceflight based on improvements in automation and digitization, next-generation materials, alternative energy sources and storage, and increased data throughput.

Article

Air Force tests fully autonomous UAS control system

2019-03-12

The United States Air Force’s 412th Test Wing’s Emerging Technologies (ET) Combined Test Force (CTF) completed the first flight test of Johns Hopkins University’s Testing of Autonomy in Complex Environments (TACE) system. As “middleware,” TACE serves as an “autonomy watchdog,” monitoring commands sent to an aircraft’s autopilot software from its autonomous artificial intelligence (AI) computer and transmitting autopilot information such as position, speed, and orientation back to the AI.

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Astronautics to upgrade cockpit displays on U.S. Customs and Border Protection P-3 Orions

2019-03-06

Milwaukee-based Astronautics Corporation of America will update the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency’s Air and Marine Operations fleet of Lockheed Martin P-3 Orion turboprop maritime surveillance aircraft with new primary flight and navigation displays.

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When it comes to fifth-generation assets, Air Force values virtual training over live flying

2019-03-04

Newer, more capable fifth-generation aircraft platforms and systems are outgrowing even the largest U.S. Air Force training ranges – and the service believes modern simulators and virtual reality may be the answer.

Article

Collins Aerospace brings next gen avionics to Portuguese C-130s

2019-02-28

The aging Lockheed C-130 Hercules military transport platform is used by numerous countries for military and government logistics. The aircraft first flew in 1954, and in order to stay relevant, Collins Aerospace has developed a Flight2 aftermarket avionic solution to upgrade communications, navigation, surveillance, and air traffic management (CNS/ATM) capabilities. Collins’ latest customer, the Portuguese Air Force, will use Flight2 to upgrade avionics and enable their fleet of C-130H aircraft to communicate in next generation airspace.

Article

Honeywell targets urban air mobility market with new hybrid turboshaft engine

2019-02-21

Looking to expand its offerings for urban air mobility solutions, Honeywell International, Inc. of Charlotte, North Carolina has developed a new hybrid-electric turbogenerator prototype based on its existing HTS900 turboshaft engine.

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Curtiss-Wright black boxes receive European approval

2019-02-19

Curtiss-Wright Corporation’s Fortress line of combined cockpit voice recorders (CVRs) and flight data recorders (FDRs) are now have European Technical Standard Order (ETSO) approval. The devices, commonly referred to as “black boxes,” will surpass the requirements of an upcoming 2021 European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) mandate that requires CVRs are capable of recording for up to 25 hours per flight.

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Nvidia partners with AdaCore to secure self-driving firmware

2019-02-14

As mobility software becomes increasingly complex and connected, so does the risk of human error and system safety. To combat this, New York-based software company AdaCore will work with Nvidia Corporation of Santa Clara, California to apply open-source Ada and SPARK programming languages for select software security firmware elements in highly-complex, safety-critical systems like Nvidia’s DRIVE AGX automated and autonomous vehicle solutions.

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Curtiss-Wright and Honeywell team to develop the cloud enabled flight recorders of the future

2019-02-12

Curtiss-Wright Corporation and Honeywell International, Inc. will co-develop a next generation “black box” device with real-time data streaming and cloud-upload capabilities. The new flight recorders device will meet an upcoming 2021 European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) mandate requiring aircraft to store a minimum of 25 hours of voice recordings.

Article

The GE T901 will be the U.S. Army’s next gen helicopter engine

2019-02-05

While GE Aviation’s T700 turboshaft engine has powered the U.S. Army’s Apache and Sikorsky helicopters for more than 46 years, the U.S. Army will replace the T700 with GE Aviation’s fully modular T901-GE-900 engine as part of the Engineering and Manufacturing Development (EMD) phase of the U.S. Army’s Improved Turbine Engine Program.

Article

Collins Aerospace will provide avionics and synthetic vision for the supersonic X-59 QueSST

2019-01-31

The X-59 utilizes a long and slender airframe to achieve supersonic speeds without causing a high decibel sonic boom. The unconventional design precludes the use of a forward-looking window or viewport. Collins Aerospace is providing a dual multi-spectral enhanced vision system to give pilots a forward view of the airspace.

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McLaren Applied Technologies’ all-electric, AI-infused vision of Formula 1 racing

2019-01-30

McLaren Applied Technologies of Woking, United Kingdom unveiled their “MCLExtreme” (MCLE) vision for the future of grand prix racing. While McLaren Applied Technologies believes that the 2050 Formula 1 World Championship will still feature open-wheel, rear wheel drive cars with humans in the cockpit, artificial intelligence (AI), augmented reality, autonomous functions, and electric propulsion will play major roles.

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NATS will test AI at Heathrow to reduce weather-related flight delays

2019-01-28

By processing ultra-high-definition (UHD), 4K resolution camera images with state-of-the-art AI and machine learning systems at a new £2.5 million ($3.3 million) “digital tower laboratory,” NATS is investigating whether these technologies can improve Heathrow’s landing capacity during low-visibility periods and reduce flight delays.

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AVIO engineers evolve Vega rocket design, enhance avionics and propulsion

2019-01-16

Hardware and software engineers at AVIO, a global aerospace company engaged in the construction and development of space launchers and solid and liquid propulsion systems for space travel, with facilities in Italy, France, and French Guyana are actively enhancing the design of the Vega space launcher, with a focus on evolving the design with enhanced avionics and propulsion technologies while also maximizing subsystem reuse and reorganizing production processes for a more efficient production chain.