Military & Aerospace
The Lead
ECN’s Veteran’s Day tribute: Remembering those who’ve served
November 9, 2012 2:50 pm | by Jason Lomberg, Technical Editor | Articles | Comments
On the cusp of Veteran’s Day, I’m reminded that a disproportionate number of our friends and colleagues served in the military. And that makes me proud to work in this industry. ECN — and her parent company, Advantage Business Media — is no exception. You can’t swing a dead cat (or give a resounding Hoooah!) without hitting a veteran.
Pressure transducers support wind tunnel testing, turbulent airflow measurements, and other high-intensity aerodynamic testing
November 30, 2012 3:09 pm | Product Releases | Comments
Meggitt Sensing Systems has announced the successful application of Endevco 8507C rugged,...
Directional couplers cover 2.0 GHz to 40.0 GHz
November 28, 2012 10:30 am | Product Releases | Comments
KRYTAR announces the continued expansion of its line of directional couplers with the addition...
BGA packages minimize size, weight, and power
November 27, 2012 3:46 pm | Product Releases | Comments
Data Device Corporation (DDC) introduces Mil-Temp versions of its Micro-ACE TE and Total-ACE MIL...
Recently returned Expedition 35 crew participates in Google+ Hangout
May 24, 2013 11:44 am | Videos | CommentsNASA hosted a Google+ Hangout from the Johnson Space Center with three recently returned International Space Station Astronauts. NASA Astronauts Kevin Ford, Tom Marshburn and Canadian Space Agency Astronaut Chris Hadfield answered wide ranging questions about daily living in a weightless environment, conducting cutting edge scientific research, and doing spacewalks while orbiting the earth every ninety minutes.
First launch of X-47B unmanned drone from aircraft carrier
May 24, 2013 11:27 am | Videos | CommentsAn X-47B Unmanned Combat Air System (UCAS) taxies and launches from the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77). George H.W. Bush is the first aircraft carrier to successfully catapult launch an unmanned aircraft from its flight deck.
NASA head views progress on asteroid lasso mission
May 24, 2013 9:56 am | by ALICIA CHANG, AP Science Writer | News | CommentsSurrounded by engineers, NASA chief Charles Bolden inspected a prototype spacecraft engine that could power an audacious mission to lasso an asteroid and tow it closer to Earth for astronauts to explore. Bolden checked on the progress Thursday a month after the Obama administration unveiled its 2014 budget...
ESO's Very Large Telescope celebrates 15 years of success
May 23, 2013 2:48 pm | by EurekAlert! | News | CommentsWith this new view of a spectacular stellar nursery ESO is celebrating 15 years of the Very Large Telescope — the world's most advanced optical instrument. This picture reveals thick clumps of dust silhouetted against the pink glowing gas cloud known to astronomers as IC 2944.
Amplifier operates from 10 kHz to 400 MHz and has a rated power of 260 W
May 23, 2013 12:36 pm | Teseq, Inc. | Product Releases | CommentsTeseq expanded its broadband amplifier line to include a Class A linear and low distortion model that operates from 10 kHz to 400 MHz with a rated power level of 260 W. For use in commercial or in-house EMC test laboratories, the CBA 400M-260 is appropriate for automotive, military and aerospace BCI
Tesla uses stock, note sale to repay government
May 23, 2013 10:56 am | by TOM KRISHER, AP Auto Writer | News | CommentsTesla Motors, which makes a highly acclaimed $70,000 electric car, has paid off a startup loan from the U.S. government nine years early. The Palo Alto, Calif., company said it wired in a $451.8 million payment to the government on Wednesday.
Solar plane completes 2nd leg of trip in Texas
May 23, 2013 10:54 am | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsA solar-powered plane has landed in Texas, completing the second leg of a trip across the United States. The Solar Impulse is making the first attempt by a solar airplane capable of flying day and night without fuel to fly across the U.S.
Engineering Update #11: Navy launches drone from aircraft carrier
May 23, 2013 10:42 am | Videos | CommentsIn this week's headlines: For the first time ever, the Navy has launched a drone the size of a fighter jet from the USS George H.W. Bush warship. Scientists at Germany's Max Planck Institute have created polymer-based flexible circuits, able to withstand high temperatures. These flexible paper circuits are so efficient, low cost, and versatile that they promise to open doors into new possible electronic applications.
Engineering Newswire 38: Lockheed laser shoots down drones
May 23, 2013 8:39 am | Videos | CommentsLockheed Martin has developed the ADAM system, which stands for Area Defense Anti-Munitions. This system is designed to destroy close-in improvised rocket and unmanned aerial threats with a laser. The markets between consumer and professional 3D printing are quickly beginning to blur. Even the unique electronics distributor, Saelig, has taken to selling 3D printers, like the new Afinia.
UAV pilots maintain situational awareness above battlefield
May 23, 2013 12:00 am | by U.S. Army | News | CommentsUnmanned aerial vehicle pilots maintain an "eye-in-the-sky" view providing real-time surveillance high above the battlefield in order to keep Soldiers safe from unexpected "enemy" attacks, at the U.S. Army National Training Center, here. Before putting Soldiers in harm's way, military unmanned aerial vehicles, known as UAVs, perform aerial reconnaissance, be it night or day.
Knee brace puts 'a spring in your step'
May 23, 2013 12:00 am | by U.S. Army | News | CommentsWeight, hinge design, and assistive power of a quasi-passive exoskeleton were studied at the U.S. Army Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center here to see how these factors affect the way an individual walks. The study, done in conjunction with Yale University, also measured how much energy a person used walking with the knee brace.
The future of food: NASA's printed pizza
May 22, 2013 1:50 pm | by Kasey Panetta, Managing Editor | Blogs | CommentsIn the great world of 3D printing, nothing is more fascinating to me than the idea of printed food. There has been some rumblings about printed meat, but it’s been mostly outliers in the industry. However, NASA just made it a little more legitimate with by offering a $125,000 grant to Systems and Materials Research Corp to develop a 3D printed version of an American (and worldwide) favorite: Pizza.
Radiation-hardened DC-DC power converters for space systems
May 22, 2013 11:44 am | Product Releases | CommentsVPT Inc., a HEICO company, announced the availability of a new series of radiation hardened DC-DC power converters, point of load converters, and EMI filters to power space systems.
Solar plane departs Phoenix on 2nd leg of US trip
May 22, 2013 10:36 am | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsA solar-powered plane is flying from Arizona to Texas on the second leg of a trip across the United States. The Solar Impulse is making the first attempt by a solar airplane capable of flying day and night without fuel to fly across the U.S.
What steps are necessary to keep counterfeit components out of the supply chain?
May 21, 2013 3:36 pm | Articles | CommentsWhat steps are necessary to keep counterfeit components out of the supply chain? Are more industry standards needed? Stop having unrealistic pricing expectations. Understand and qualify quality vendors of all kinds. Allocations and obsolescence are part of our industry....
Army Ground Combat Systems adopts Sandia tool for choosing future warfighting vehicles
May 21, 2013 1:09 pm | by EurekAlert! | News | CommentsImagine trying to solve this complex problem: You have to modernize a fleet of combat vehicles, such as tanks, tracked howitzers and infantry fighting vehicles, choosing from among more than 50 ways to update them to meet future threats. Each modernization option can be configured differently to meet a variety of missions around the globe.
Building a better team -- on Mars
May 21, 2013 12:55 pm | by EurekAlert! | News | CommentsSometime in the next quarter-century, NASA plans to send the first humans to Mars, a mission that will push the boundaries of teamwork for a handful of astronauts who will spend as long as three years together in a tiny capsule. A Michigan State University project, now wrapping up its third year, aims to arm the crew....
Fueling fitness on the final frontier
May 21, 2013 12:43 pm | by EurekAlert! | News | CommentsThink keeping in shape is an uphill battle? Try staying fit in space, where living quarters are cramped and prolonged weightlessness withers muscle and bone. That's the challenge a group of Michigan State University researchers will address with a new three-year, $1.2 million grant from NASA.
Playing games in space
May 21, 2013 12:02 pm | by Kasey Panetta, Managing Editor | Blogs | CommentsChris Hadfield might just be the coolest guy on the internet (or in this solar system.) The astronaut—who just recently returned to earth—made it part of his mission to share different things happening on the international space station since he took command—the first Canadian to do so—on December 19, 2012.
Wireless networks balance military’s defense-in-depth, custom requirements
May 20, 2013 4:44 pm | by Chris Warner, Executive Editor | Ultra Electronics Ems Development Corp. | Articles | CommentsWireless and wired technologies have advanced to the point where automated control systems are routinely networked together. Information can be shared and tasks performed across long distances, via the Internet, linking systems in large industrial spaces, or across remote or rugged areas. Networked control systems (NCS) offer many benefits such as far greater efficiency than manual controls....
Flip-chip Schottky diode features high cutoff frequency
May 20, 2013 2:57 pm | M/A-Com Technology Solutions, Inc. | Product Releases | CommentsM/A-COM Technology Solutions announced a new broadband Flip Chip Schottky Diode for multi-market applications. The MADS-001317-1500 is designed for customers who need a versatile, low cost, ultra-small Schottky solution for Police Radar, Point to Point, Electronic Warfare, and Aerospace and Defense applications.
PD&D webcast: Exploring Unmanned Vehicles
May 20, 2013 12:01 pm | WebinarsIn this presentation, Dr. (Col. Ret.) Jerry LeMieux, President of Unmanned Vehicle University, will discuss innovations in the field of unmanned systems. Specifically, he will review the commercialization of unmanned air, ground, sea, and space vehicles and their increased use in civil applications in comparison to their heavy military use and origins.
Congress gets mixed advice on regulating drones
May 20, 2013 10:58 am | by HENRY C. JACKSON, Associated Press | News | CommentsThe growing use of unmanned surveillance "eyes in the sky" aircraft raises a thicket of privacy concerns, but the U.S. Congress is getting mixed advice on what, if anything, to do about it. A future with domestic drones may be inevitable. While civilian drone use is currently limited to government agencies and some public universities...
SKorea analyzing NKorea's 4 projectile launches
May 20, 2013 10:48 am | by HYUNG-JIN KIM, Associated Press | News | CommentsSouth Korea is analyzing whether projectiles North Korea fired into its eastern waters over the weekend are short-range missiles or a new type of artillery the country may be developing, officials said Monday. North Korea fired what Seoul officials called a short-range projectile Sunday, a day after conducting three similar launches.
Planes, trains, and automobiles: Faster, stronger, lighter
May 20, 2013 12:00 am | by Massachusetts Institute of Technology | News | CommentsThese days, aerospace engineering is all about the light stuff: building airplanes with lighter wings, fuselage and landing gear in an effort to reduce fuel costs. Advanced carbon-fiber composites have been used in recent years to lighten planes’ loads. These materials can match aluminum and titanium in strength but at a fraction of the weight, and can be found in aircraft like the Boeing 787 and Airbus A380, reducing such jets’ weigh...
