The aerospace industry is facing immense challenges due to increased design complexity and higher levels of integration, particularly in the electrification of aircraft. These challenges can easily impact program cost and product time to market. System electrification and electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) have become critical issues today. In the context of 3D electromagnetics, EMC electromagnetic compatibility ensures the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) that radiated emissions from various electronic devices, such as avionics or the entire aircraft for that matter, do not interfere with other electronic products onboard the aircraft.
Quality management professionals across the global aerospace and defense community are convening for one hour – Wednesday, October 27th, starting at 10 am Pacific Daylight Time (PDT) – to discuss the AS9100 international standard. Register to take part in the free AeroTech webinar, hosted by SAE International and Tektronix, designed to help manufacturers, contractors, and subcontractors throughout the global aviation, space, and defense supply chain keep pace with and meet the requirements of AS9100 international quality management system standard.
While the pandemic continues, aerospace companies are rising to embrace new and emerging challenges at a time when there’s so much innovation. This innovation can be seen in the emergence of urban air mobility (UAM), the rebirth of supersonic flight, the drive towards a “zero emission” aircraft, and the continued use of autonomous drones for delivery, freight, search & rescue, and defense. There are exciting new developments in space as companies are developing products for commercial exploration and space tourism, and new ways to launch satellites. A new generation of engineering is also emerging in the defense sector and its development of not only aircraft, but also ships, tankers, and even flight trainers.
Mobility is in the midst of an electric revolution, propelled by industry innovators such as magniX. Headquartered in Redmond, Washington, the magniX team is focused on revolutionizing electric motors for commercial aviation applications.
Aerion Supersonic in Reno, Nevada, is developing supersonic aircraft with the help of the Xcelerator portfolio from Siemens Digital Industries Software, with headquarters in Nuremberg, Germany, and offices worldwide. Siemens Digital Industries Software’s Dale Tutt, vice president of aerospace and defense, will deliver a keynote address at SAE AeroTech 2020 (SAE.org/aerotech) on the rapid development of next-gen platforms and systems.
Executives and engineers from across high-tech markets – aerospace and defense (A&D), advanced manufacturing, energy, field service, and others – are realizing the benefits of cloud and software-as-a-service (SaaS) tools. Officials at global enterprise applications company IFS saw the rapid adoption of such tools triple in 2018 alone. SAE International chats with IFS CEO Darren Roos about the growing trend, the value of data, and real-world data analytics use cases.
Siemens PLM Software has transformed into Siemens Digital Industries Software, reaffirming its focus on enabling digital industries and merging virtual and real worlds in software, hardware, design, and manufacturing. “Every industry we serve – from aerospace and automotive to electronic design – is transforming,” Siemens PLM Software officials in Plano, Texas, acknowledge. Siemens PLM Software, too, is undergoing a transformation, having just changed its name to Siemens Digital Industries Software.
The 60th Maintenance Squadron at Travis Air Force Base is the first field unit in the United States Air Force to produce approved nonstructural aircraft parts using 3D printing – an additive manufacturing technique. The first parts: latrine covers on the Lockheed C-5M Super Galaxy strategic airlifter.
The Lockheed C-130H Hercules fleet operated by the Air National Guard and U.S. Air Force Reserve is getting new Collins Aerospace Systems avionics that will help extend the life of the legacy aircraft by 20 years.
Z Advanced Computing, Inc. (ZAC), a Potomac Maryland-based start-up, will develop 3D image recognition technology for U.S. Air Force unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and drones.
Texas A&M University is putting a human behind the wheel of its autonomous shuttle fleet with a partnership with Designated Driver, a teleoperation technology company and provides remote human guidance to autonomous vehicles. The first use case: overriding the shuttles’ autonomy at four-way intersections.
The Commonwealth Center for Advanced Manufacturing (CCAM), a non-profit consortium based in Prince George County, Virginia, uses a 3D visualization lab to expand beyond the walls of its 62,000-square-foot brick and mortar facility and deliver a collaborative development for researchers in industry, academia, and government.
Parsons Corporation has created a new series of government collaboration opportunities with its Smart Cities Challenge campaign. Smart Cities Challenge: Transforming Intersections is designed to significantly increase mobility around cities and reduce the amount of time drivers spend idling at red lights. The event’s sponsors and partners include Amazon Web Services and Verizon.
After wrapping up a wing swap on 173 Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II close air support attack aircraft, the Boeing Company was awarded with another Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) sustainment contract award from the U.S. Air Force to continue re-winging the rest of the A-10 fleet.
During a public demonstration, an unmodified production Impossible Aerospace Corporation’s US-1 quadcopter, carrying both a FLIR Duo Pro R thermal camera and HD video transmitter, crossed Nevada’s “playa,” or salt flats. In repeated 72-minute flights, the unmanned aircraft system (UAS) flew with and against prevailing winds, covering distances of 29 and 21 miles, respectively.
Beep Inc., an automated vehicle (AV) distributor based in Orlando, Florida, is partnering with Bestmile SA – a developer of fleet orchestration software. Through the collaboration, Beep will use Bestmile’s software to manage and monitor autonomous shuttle fleets that it sells to fleet owners who operate in low speed environments across the public and private sector.
Embraer S.A.’s new Praetor 500 midsize business jet was awarded Type Certification from Brazil's National Civil Aviation Authority (Agência Nacional de Aviação Civil, or ANAC). The Praetor 500 surpassed its certification goals and outperformed class competitors – achieving an intercontinental range of 3,340 nautical miles (6,186 kilometers) with four passengers and keeping with NBAA IFR Reserves, a high-speed cruise of 466 knots true airspeed (KTAS).