Military & Aerospace
Drones to be equipped with HD cameras?
August 30, 2010 7:17 am | by Jason Lomberg, Technical Editor | Blogs | CommentsThe Consumer Electronics industry is already discussing glasses-free 3D televisions. But for Airmen monitoring drone feeds, they’re forced to stare at grainy, SD video. Yet according to a piece in the Air Force Times, the times they are a-changin’—the military may soon have HD cameras on drones.
To boldly go where no dilettante has gone before
August 27, 2010 8:03 am | by Alix Paultre, Editor-in-Chief | Articles | CommentsOnce Burt Rutan's Scaled Composites announced the maiden flight of SpaceShipTwo, it was only a matter of time before Virgin Galactic would start selling tickets to space in earnest. This is great news for the development of commercial space, representing the first private steps into a new frontier.
Intel Core i7-Based OpenVPX Solutions for ISR Applications
August 25, 2010 8:16 am | Product Releases | CommentsMercury Computer Systems, Inc. (www.mc.com) launched the Ensemble 6000 Series 6U OpenVPX Intel Core i7 LDS6520 Module, the first embedded computing product combining Intel’s Core i7 processor family with the POET fabric interconnect, at AUVSI’s Unmanned Systems North America 2010 conference today.
Lockheed Martin receives “contract modification” for F-22
August 25, 2010 6:13 am | by Jason Lomberg, Technical Editor | Blogs | CommentsLockheed Martin announced that it had received a $111.4 million contract modification from the U.S. Air Force for the 2010 Follow-On Agile Sustainment for the Raptor (FASTeR) sustainment contract. FASTeR entails support for the F-22 fleet, including training systems, customer support, integrated support planning, supply chain management, aircraft modifications and heavy maintenance...
Spectrometer to Fly in Space
August 25, 2010 5:23 am | by LabEquipment | Videos | CommentsThe Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS), an experiment that will search for antimatter and dark matter in space, leaves the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) next Tuesday on the next leg of its journey to the International Space Station. The AMS detector is being transported...
Air Force filling holes in communication during drawdown
August 24, 2010 7:45 am | by Staff Sgt. Sanjay Allen, Air Component Coordination Element-Iraq Public Affairs | News | CommentsWhile convoys are operating in areas where ground communications are limited, joint airborne battle staff crews are stepping in to bridge the gap during the responsible drawdown of forces where communication is critical to ensure U.S. Forces redeploy safely.
Air Force Research Lab conducts second successful robot refueler test
August 24, 2010 6:15 am | News | CommentsThe test of a robotic refueling system by researchers at the Air Force Research Laboratory's Materials and Manufacturing Directorate in late July 2010 marks the second successful test of technology that could dramatically change the way the U.S. military services its aircraft.
U.S. aerospace companies boost technical education
August 23, 2010 7:11 am | News | CommentsU.S. aerospace and defense companies are stepping up support for educational programs in hope of encouraging students to pursue technical careers to help replace an expected flood of worker retirements.
Private spaceship carrier plane damaged in test
August 23, 2010 6:59 am | News | CommentsAn aircraft designed to launch Virgin Galactic's suborbital passenger spaceship was damaged in an accident on a California runway, manufacturer Scaled Composites said.
The Next Steps in OpenVPX Development
August 20, 2010 6:49 am | by Justin Moll, Director of Marketing, Elma Bustronic (www.elmabustronic.com) | Articles | CommentsOpenVPX is now beginning to sprout promising green shoots as interoperability has become a significant focus around the VPX topic.
Hybrid Armor Incorporates Specialty Multi-wall Carbon Nanotube Material
August 20, 2010 6:15 am | News | CommentsSouthWest NanoTechnologies, Inc. (SWeNT) is manufacturing specialty multi-wall carbon nanotubes for NanoRidge Materials, Inc. These CNTs are being incorporated into enhanced body armor to improve protection of soldiers and law enforcement officers from small arms fire.
Over 150,000 MegaPhase Cables Help Allied Forces Defeat IEDs
August 17, 2010 10:05 am | News | CommentsThe critical systems our soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines use to jam radio-controlled improvised explosive devices (IEDs) rely on the RF cables designed and manufactured at the MegaPhase facility in Stroudsburg, PA.
Israel approves purchase of F-35
August 16, 2010 7:27 am | by Jason Lomberg, Technical Editor | Blogs | CommentsAs reported by Defense Talk, Israel has agreed to purchase 20 F-35 Joint Strike Fighters in a deal worth an estimated 2.75 billion dollars. At $96 million a piece, this would be the most expensive weapons deal ever signed by Israel. As the Swiss Army Knife of fighter jets, and the bulwark of the free world for the next 40 years (not to sound hyperbolic)...
Spacewalking astronauts plug in new cooling pump
August 16, 2010 5:58 am | News | CommentsSpacewalking astronauts installed a new ammonia pump to the International Space Station on Monday, accomplishing the urgent cooling-system repairs after more than two weeks of impaired operations in orbit.
Airmen enhance F-15E capabilities with helmet-mounted cueing system
August 13, 2010 9:11 am | by Tech. Sgt. Tammie Moore, 4th Fighter Wing Public Affairs | Blogs | CommentsThe concept is like something out of a movie -- the ability to find a target from a jet cockpit with the naked eye and lock onto it simply by fixing your gaze upon it. This science fiction concept has become a reality at the 336th Fighter Squadron.
Mass Storage Mezzanine Offers Fast, Secure Erasure and Write Protection
August 9, 2010 6:33 am | Product Releases | CommentsElma Electronic Systems division offers the Secure PMCDisk for securely erasing and write-protecting sensitive data in harsh environments often found in military and defense applications. The new, high-capacity mass data storage mezzanine supports
Solar-Powered Plane Breaks Endurance Records
August 4, 2010 5:47 am | News | CommentsQinetiQ will today bring Zephyr , its solar powered high-altitude long endurance (HALE) Unmanned Air System (UAS) back to earth after two weeks in the air.
Large Binocular Telescope Achieves Major Breakthrough
August 2, 2010 5:38 am | News | CommentsThe next generation of adaptive optics has arrived at the Large Binocular Telescope in Arizona, providing astronomers with a new level of image sharpness never before seen.
FPGA Boards Target Software Defined Radio, SIGINT, Tactical Comms, and Radar Applications
July 29, 2010 7:39 am | Product Releases | CommentsGE Intelligent Platforms today announced that it will soon launch a range of digital receiver, digital transceiver and FPGA processor products based on the Virtex-6 FPGA family from Xilinx.
Coolest Toy EVER!!
July 28, 2010 10:21 pm | by Dmeist | Videos | CommentsBuilt out of kevlar and carbon fiber, this miniature figher jet can reach speeds upwards of 280 M.P.H. The models use small jet turbines, functionally identical to those used in actual full-sized jets to achieve remarkable speeds and flying precision.
U.S. Navy Laser Weapon Shoots Down Drone in Test.
July 26, 2010 7:25 am | by knightskross | Videos | Commentshttp://droidzilla.blogspot.com/ This silent video shows during a recent test, a Navy laser using a tracking system from Raytheon to shoot down the unmanned aerial vehicles with lasers. http://droidzilla.blogspot.com/
Nanowick at heart of new system to cool 'power electronics'
July 22, 2010 12:22 pm | by EurekAlert | News | Comments(Purdue University) Researchers have shown that an advanced cooling technology being developed for high-power electronics in military and automotive systems is capable of handling roughly 10 times the heat generated by conventional computer chips.
Senate plan puts off space shuttle retirement
July 22, 2010 10:35 am | News | CommentsA U.S. Senate oversight committee unanimously passed a plan on Thursday to postpone retirement of the space shuttle as part of a job-saving compromise to the Obama administration's wish to end NASA's program to return astronauts to the moon.
Commercial spacecraft makes first crewed flight
July 19, 2010 7:08 am | by Jason Lomberg, Technical Editor | Blogs | CommentsBack in December, we reported on Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo, the world’s first commercial spaceship. Christened the VSS Enterprise, the vessel is a sub-orbital spacecraft capable of ferrying two pilots and six passengers into the thermosphere (an apogee of about 110 km). On July 15th, the Enterprise completed its first crewed flight.
UK Drone draws inspiration from Celtic mythology
July 16, 2010 11:21 am | by Jason Lomberg, Technical Editor | Blogs | CommentsFor proof that unmanned systems represent the future of warfare, check out BAE Systems’ new Unmanned Combat Aircraft System (UCAS), Taranis. Resembling something out of The Terminator, Taranis (named after the Celtic God of Thunder) is a sight to behold.
