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Article

Tooling decisions play major role in cost, turnaround time

2018-07-24

“Laddering up” of the range of tooling options requires assessing at each plateau whether greater upfront investment in tooling will pay off with a relatively quick return on investment. Since tooling plays such a key role in this equation, it also means working closely with OEMs willing to evaluate the best available tooling options at any time as production requirements increase.

Article

Safran completes first ground test of distributed hybrid electric propulsion system

2018-07-23

Safran engineers tested and validated several operating modes of the company's distributed hybrid electric propulsion system during this first series of tests, with the electric motors powered only by batteries or by a combination of batteries and turbo-generator.

Article

Rolls-Royce to work with airframe manufacturers, seek partners for EVTOL project

2018-07-19

Rolls-Royce in London is unveiling a concept electric vertical take-off and landing (EVTOL) vehicle, including civil and military variants, that could take to the skies as soon as the early 2020s. The flexible design – able to be adapted for a variety of applications, including personal transport, public transport, logistics, and defense – is based upon technologies currently in use and under development.

Article

SAE International anti-counterfeit standards integral to obsolescence management

2018-07-25

Counterfeit parts prevention is integral to an effective obsolescence management plan, and the focus of anti-counterfeit standards – including Counterfeit Avoidance Standard (AS5553) and Counterfeit Detection Standard (AS6081) – from SAE International in Warrendale, Pa. SAE International officials are bringing the anti-counterfeit discussion and sharing best practices, which include adherence to critical standards, to the Future of Obsolescence Management (FOM) event on October 10 and 11 in Washington.

Article

NASA invests $44M to advance ‘tipping point’ space exploration technologies

2018-08-08

NASA officials in Washington are investing $44 million in total awards to six U.S. companies to advance 10 aerospace technologies at the “tipping point” and with the potential to benefit the commercial space economy and future NASA missions, including lunar lander and deep space rocket engine technologies. A technology is considered at a “tipping point” if investment in a ground or flight demonstration will result in significantly maturing the technology and improving the company’s ability to bring it to market, officials say.

Article

Textron Systems, Textron Aviation Defense demonstrate simulated manned-unmanned teaming capability

2018-08-02

The ability to control unmanned systems from the cockpit of a manned tactical aircraft is coming closer to reality. Textron Systems and Textron Aviation have demonstrated manned-unmanned teaming – specifically the command and control (C2) of multiple unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), commonly referred to as drones, from a single manned military aircraft.

Article

Persistent Systems Auto-Tracking Antenna System adds aircraft to network, enhances data sharing

2018-07-12

The Auto-Tracking Antenna System, a new portable, ground-to-air antenna from Persistent Systems LLC in New York, incorporates aircraft into the Wave Relay mobile ad hoc network (MANET) to boost connectivity, communications, and distribution of critical sensor data, including full-motion video, on the networked battlefield. The precisely aimed tracking system works with the MPU5 radio and Wave Relay MANET to optimize connectivity and reliable communications to enable manned and unmanned aircraft to communicate further than ever before, officials say.

Article

Martin UAV VTOL unmanned aircraft taps Persistent Systems Wave Relay data link technology

2018-07-18

Engineers at Martin UAV are incorporating Wave Relay mobile ad hoc network (MANET) technology from Persistent Systems into the company’s V-BAT small, vertical takeoff-and-landing (VTOL) unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV).

Article

NASA and AeroVironment are building a helicopter for Mars

2018-07-06

AeroVironment revealed its critical role in collaborating with NASA JPL to build the “Mars Helicopter” for NASA’s Mars Exploration Program. Program officials plan to have the Mars Helicopter flying on Mars in less than three years.

Article

Northrop Grumman acquires Orbital ATK, adds solid rocket motors to space portfolio

2018-06-26

Northrop Grumman Corp. has acquired Orbital ATK Inc., one of only two leading U.S. manufacturers of solid rocket motors (SRMs), in exchange for $7.8 billion in cash and assumption of $1.4 billion in debt. Officials have finalized the acquisition and formed Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems, the company’s fourth business sector, to enable greater expansion into the space market.

Article

Insitu ScanEagle sUAS boosts Coast Guard mission effectiveness

2018-06-15

U.S. Coast Guard officials are expanding their deployment of small unmanned aircraft systems (sUAS) for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) operations, after achieving a record-breaking year for drug interdiction using Insitu’s ScanEagle sUAS aboard a single National Security Cutter, the Stratton.

Article

Security expert: Hackers will target low-profile vehicle intrusions

2018-04-11

Blatant security hacks on connected/autonomous vehicles aren’t the “big threat.” A security expert believes the top hacking targets will be hard-to-detect, and the potential source of that information: in-vehicle microphones.

Article

ONERA and DLR shake up the Airbus Beluga XL cargo aircraft a shake-up

2018-06-14

On June 6, a joint team from ONERA – internationally known as “The French Aerospace Lab” – and Germany’s DLR completed an eight-day course of static ground vibration testing on the new model.

Article

ANSYS will help Airbus develop AI-enabled flight controls for the FCAS program’s autonomous wingmen

2019-06-19

Originally proposed at the 2018 Internationale Luft- und Raumfahrtausstellung (ILA) Berlin Air Show, the systems-of-systems FCAS architecture includes new sixth-generation Next Generation Fighter (NGF) that will serve as a hub or nucleus for multiple cloud-linked UAV or “remote carrier” wingmen.

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

Fiat-Chrysler will deploy Aurora self-driving technology on it commercial vehicles

2019-06-12

Aurora’s self-driving technology – which includes hardware, software, and data service components – can deliver SAE International Level 4 autonomy.

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

UTC’s Project 804 hybrid-electric demonstrator may increase regional jet efficiency by 30 percent

2019-04-09

United Technologies Corporation (UTC) is collaborating with its subsidiaries Pratt & Whitney and Collins Aerospace to develop a hybrid-electric X-plane with a hybrid-electric propulsion system efficient enough to make regional flights as practical as bus rides.

Article

Vertical Aerospace is Honeywell’s latest partner in the UAM industry

2019-06-05

Through the partnership, Honeywell Aerospace plans to integrate its current avionics, navigation, fly-by-wire technologies into Vertical Aerospace’s electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) vehicles.

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.