Researchers demonstrated a prototype device that uses microwave air plasmas for jet propulsion instead of fossil fuel. The plasma jet was created by compressing air into high pressures and using a microwave to ionize the pressurized air stream.

Natural disasters, like wildfires and hurricanes, can lead to many lives lost and billions of dollars in costs across the U.S. each year. To help reduce that impact, drones have great potential to assist emergency responders.

Testers from the Holloman High Speed Test Track, in conjunction with members of the F-35 Lightning II Joint Program Office, Lockheed Martin, Martin Baker, and BAE Systems, successfully conducted an F-35 static ejection seat test to evaluate pilot survivability using a canopy transparency from a new manufacturer. The purpose of this test was to demonstrate that the ejection seat is able to penetrate through the canopy without severely injuring the pilot if there is ever a failure with the Transparency Removal System (TRS); TRS is a charge designed to fracture the cockpit canopy acrylic prior to ejection.

Commercial-led advancements in electric vehicle technology have pushed the Army Futures and Concepts Center to take a hard look at the capability and find ways to integrate it throughout the Army's wheeled-vehicle fleet, the program's director said. A draft white-paper proposal focusing on the employment of electric vehicles is currently in the works, said Lt. Gen. Eric Wesley, the FCC director. The head of Army Futures Command, Gen. John Murray, will be among the first to review the proposal, which is slated for internal release this summer.

Researchers have used artificial intelligence to detect Vietnam War-era bomb craters in Cambodia from satellite images – with the hope that it can help find unexploded bombs. The new method increased true bomb crater detection by more than 160 percent over standard methods. The model, combined with declassified U.S. military records, suggests that 44 to 50 percent of the bombs in the area studied may remain unexploded.

Los Alamos researchers developed the first-ever restartable motor for solid rockets. They demonstrated restarting the motor at least six times in succession. All other solid rocket motors in use are a “one and done” scenario for maneuvering in space.

As NASA looks to the future of flight, the agency is investing in technologies aimed at changing the aviation industry as we know it. These developments vary from basic materials to full-scale experimental aircraft, all designed to increase efficiency and reliability, while decreasing weight and cost.

Airbus has revealed MAVERIC (Model Aircraft for Validation and Experimentation of Robust Innovative Controls), its “blended wing body” scale model technological demonstrator. At 2 meters long and 3.2 meters wide, with a surface area of about 2.25m², MAVERIC features a disruptive aircraft design, that has the potential to reduce fuel consumption by up to 20% compared to current single-aisle aircraft. The “blended wing body” configuration also opens up new possibilities for propulsion systems type and integration, as well as a versatile cabin for a totally new onboard passenger experience.

You know how you leave space in a water bottle before you pop it in the freezer—to accommodate the fact that water expands as it freezes? Most metal parts in airplanes face the opposite problem. At high altitudes (low temperatures) they shrink. To keep such shrinkage from causing major disasters, engineers make airplanes out of composites or alloys, mixing materials that have opposite expansion properties to balance one another out.

Knowing the air density outside a spacecraft vehicle can have a substantial effect on its angle of descent and ability to hit a specific landing spot. A new onboard algorithm provides important real-time data to aid in steering the craft.

The Air Force Gunsmith Shop – part of the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center’s Armament Directorate – recently completed delivery of a new rifle for aircrew in most ejection seat aircraft. Known as the Aircrew Self Defense Weapon (GAU-5A), the 5.56 mm caliber rifle was designed by the Gunsmith Shop in close coordination with the small arms engineer to provide downed aircrew with additional firepower while they wait for rescue.

A flight test of the joint Army-Navy hypersonic glide vehicle across the Pacific was a success thanks to a dedicated team who managed complexity and change, officials said. A joint team of soldiers, sailors, Defense Department civilians, contractors, national labs, and industry partners spent months preparing for the launch at the Pacific Missile Range Facility on Kauai.

Rheinmetall has signed a contract with Switzerland’s Federal Office for Defence Procurement (Armasuisse) to supply VarioRay LLM laser light modules to the Swiss Army. Under the contract, Rheinmetall will deliver 9,640 devices starting May this year, with completion expected by the end of 2022. The company will also supply accessories, spare parts and offer training support to the Swiss Army. Rheinmetall Air Defence is serving as the general contractor for the project while Rheinmetall Soldier Electronics is the manufacturer.

Sandia National Laboratories robotics experts are working on a way to intercept enemy unmanned aircraft systems mid-flight. The government and defense industry have been exploring ways to intercept enemy unmanned aircraft systems, with some organizations having success in deploying nets toward targets from single drones. Sandia’s research built upon swarm coordination and carrying nets as a team.