Wichita State University’s National Institute for Aviation Research recently opened a new ballistics and impact dynamics research lab in the former Britt Brown Arena at the Kansas Coliseum. The new ballistics lab, part of NIAR’s environmental Test Labs, uses a custom built ballistic firing device to propel 22-50 caliber rounds into components inside a concrete containment building. The test is designed to simulate the impact of a structural failure on the aircraft.

Three years after the Defense Department named cyberspace a new domain of warfare, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency is unveiling technologies that could soon make it possible for military leaders and warriors to plan and execute real-time cyber missions in a territory charted so far only by machines.

Powerful visual computing processors for dashboard displays are now taking on safety-critical driver-assistance functions. Read more at http://articles.sae.org/13314.

Autonomous vehicles are a hot topic, most noticeably in the automotive world. But automated driving/operation is making significant headway in the off-highway realm as well, especially in mining applications. John Williamson of Komatsu America Corp. and Serge Lambermont of Delphi Electronics & Safety provide some insights on the topic. Read more at http://articles.sae.org/13300.

The actual J1349 rating is more than 100 hp more than Chrysler engineers teased in late May. The automaker's first production supercharged V8 uses a Lysholm-type twin-screw supercharger supplied by IHI. The engine's high-output spec required extensive upgrading of engine reciprocating components to handle the extra loads. Read more at http://articles.sae.org/13227.

A new electrohydraulic power steering system uses pump displacement control, eliminating throttling losses associated with hydraulic control valves by controlling the displacement of a variable displacement pump. Read more at http://articles.sae.org/13281.

A cable installation simulator from W. L. Gore & Associates aids in evaluating the stress of installation on microwave airframe assemblies, thereby minimizing the risk of cable assembly damage or failure during installation. By comparing signal integrity before and after installation, Gore can engineer assemblies that withstand airframe installation as well as the demands of the aircraft’s flight envelope. Use of the installation simulator gives aircraft manufacturers and installers evidence that their assemblies will provide the same level of electrical performance after installation as when they are new. More detail at http://articles.sae.org/13287.

Custom grounding cables and clips from Mueller Electric help prevent the generation of electrical sparks caused by static electricity, which can damage equipment and lead to safety hazards. The products support the typical grounding and bonding requirements found within aircraft fueling, electrical equipment, marine, oil and gas tanks and drums, and pump grounding systems. More detail at http://articles.sae.org/13241.

PCB Piezotronics’ surface microphone for R&D testing features a low-profile design ideal for testing in confined spaces and windy environments. The low-profile (1/8-in height) microphone and surface mount pad reduces the impact of undesired air pressure on the microphone during the measurement process. Model 130B40 is an all-in-one, prepolarized microphone and preamplifier combination with a water- and dust-resistant cover. Maximum dynamic range allows measurements to 142 dB and a 32 dBA low noise floor. More detail at http://articles.sae.org/13242.

Three high-performance thermoplastics from Victrex have been added to the Digimat-MX material and modeling database to accelerate the application development process while helping to minimize component weight and costs. The software suite from e-Xstream engineering offers data on Victrex PEEK 150CA30, Victrex PEEK 90HMF40, and Victrex PEEK 150GL30. Victrex PEEK 150CA30 is typically used to replace metals such as aluminum, titanium, and stainless steel. More detail at http://articles.sae.org/13284.

EMAC (Carbondale, IL) has introduced the iPAC-9X25, an ARM-embedded single board computer, based on the Atmel AT91SAM9X25 processor. The technology has an industrial temperature range of -40°C to +85°C and utilizes 4GB of eMMC Flash, 16MB of Serial Data Flash (for boot), and 128 MB of DDR RAM.

DRAM modules from Innodisk Corp. (Taipai, Taiwan) feature conformal coatings that protect against moisture, dust, and chemical contaminants. The layer thickness varies from 0.03mm up to 0.13mm, depending on the demands of the application and the materials used. The coating also protects against issues caused by electrical or thermal conduction, static electricity, and heat, and observes MIL-I-46058C.

Beryllium-copper fingerstock gaskets from Leader Tech (Tampa, FL) provide electrical contact between parallel seams (mating surfaces) that are created by enclosure access doors and panels. Once installed, the hardened Alloy 25 gaskets effectively shield over a broad frequency range. Leader Tech fingerstock gaskets, available in multiple plating finishes, can be cut to application-specific lengths. In addition, the wiping action of gasket fingers acts as a self-cleaning mechanism during every compression cycle.

In collaboration with the University of Warwick, Element Six (Santa Clara, CA) has developed an all-diamond sensor structure for electroanalytical applications. The synthetic electrode is available in a variety of geometries encapsulated in co-planar insulating diamond. Element Six’s Diafilm EA-grade electrode material features 100 percent phase purity, and the electrode presents a typical surface roughness of Ra<0.02 μm. Precisely controlled boron concentrations provide metal-like ohmic conductivity while achieving low capacitance.

To create 3D objects with deterministic mechanical properties, Arevo Labs (San Jose, CA) offers proprietary carbon fiber and carbon nanotube (CNT) reinforced high performance materials. Supported polymer materials include KetaSpire® PEEK, AvaSpire® PAEK, Radel® PPSU, and PrimoSpire® SRP.

Advantech (Irvine, CA) has released the SOM-7567 COM Express^® Mini Type 10 module, featuring Intel^® Atom™ E3800/Celeron^® N2930/J1900 processors. Measuring 84 × 55 mm, SOM-7567 supports onboard memory up to 4GB and 64GB flash memory. The model can support up to 15 simultaneous 1080p full-HD video decoders.

Pasternack Enterprises (Irvine, CA) has announced a new portfolio of Land S-band high gain amplifiers. The modules, packaged in hermetically-sealed metal enclosures, are optimized for 1.2 – 1.4 GHz and 3.1 – 3.5 GHz radar applications. The RF amplifiers utilize a hybrid microwave integrated circuit design and GaAs pHEMT technology. The devices also feature built-in voltage regulation, bias sequencing, and reverse bias protection.

Security concerns currently dominate software thinking wherever sensitive or safety-critical information is potentially accessible. Embedded software is no exception. Security researcher Barnaby Jack demonstrated this in 2011 when he used a modified antenna and software to wirelessly attack and take control of Medtronic’s implantable insulin pumps. He demonstrated how such a pump could be commanded to release a fatal dose of insulin. Obviously, that vulnerability puts dependent diabetics at risk.

As the US military shifts from boots on the ground to drones in the sky, there will be an increasing need for computing power on foreign soil, under the sea and in the air. Design objectives will be difficult to achieve with legacy technology. Electronic gear must be deployed by transport plane and require rapid setup once the destination is reached. Systems will need to be hardened to survive extreme temperatures, desert sand, salt air and pollution. Fuel logistics to serve remote locations can be difficult and expensive. Every kilowatt-hour of electricity converted to heat must be dissipated and, ideally, the waste energy should be recycled. For ground installations, it will be useful to consider distributing computing resources around rather than concentrating them at a single location that may be vulnerable to attack. Silent operation also is desirable.

Fuel is expensive for airlines. According to sources interviewed for this article, fuel accounts for 30 to 50% of operating costs, depending on the size of the aircraft. And fuel prices remain volatile.

The common feature shared by recent aviation platforms is the high level of systems integration, and the way in which information is displayed or made accessible, allowing previously unimaginable levels of situational awareness to be available to pilots and ground controllers. This has greatly eased the pilot workload and enhanced flight safety, especially when flying in poor weather or operating in unfamiliar or hazardous terrain.

It is fairly well known within the aerospace community that telemetry is moving from the traditional L-band and S-band frequency ranges up to C-band. It is widely understood that the reason for this push to C-band is two-fold. First, traditional L and S frequency bands have been greatly reduced through reallocation for a variety of reasons by different markets, and second, the bandwidth required for most applications has seen exponential growth. This has not only been seen in military applications, but in civilian aerospace platforms as well.

As wireless standards become more complex, the number of operational modes for these devices increases exponentially. As progression continues to the latest WiFi standard, new modulation schemes, more channels, more bandwidth settings, and additional spatial streams are added. Additionally, characterizing WLAN transceivers is especially challenging when faced with thousands of independent operational gain settings.

Lockheed Martin
Bethesda, MD
866-562-2363
www.lockheedmartin.com/unmanned

Lockheed Martin, in collaboration with the U.S. Army Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center (TARDEC), successfully conducted a fully autonomous resupply, reconnaissance, surveillance and target-acquisition demonstration using its Squad Mission Support System (SMSS) unmanned ground vehicle, K-MAX unmanned helicopter and Gyrocam optical sensor.

North Atlantic Industries
Bohemia, NY
631-567-1100
www.naii.com

North Atlantic Industries (NAI) has been chosen by Lockheed Martin Skunk Works^® to provide navigation system solutions for the Aerial Reconfigurable Embedded System (ARES) vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) demonstrator. Vehicle management computer (VMC) and actuator interface unit (AIU) requirements were met utilizing NAI’s commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) SIU6 chassis.

Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation
Stratford, CT
1-800-946-4337
www.sikorsky.com/

Sikorsky Aircraft, a subsidiary of United Technologies Corp., is developing its first product to feature Matrix™ Technology by converting a retired UH-60A Black Hawk helicopter into an optionally piloted variant capable of a wide spectrum of missions. With the autonomous Black Hawk, Sikorsky plans to build on the success of its Matrix Technology and Manned/Unmanned Resupply Aerial Lifter (MURAL) autonomy programs to deliver a new level of mission flexibility to combat and logistic planners. The product will integrate autonomy and advanced fleet management technology with refurbishment experience to provide a cost-effective, dependable and sustainable system.

Thales Defense & Security
Clarksburg, MD
240-864-7000
www.thalescomminc.com

Thales Defense & Security, Inc. has been awarded an Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract by the U.S. Army for its Soldier Radio Waveform Appliqué (SRW A) radio system: the AN/VRC 121 Vehicle Integrated Power Enhanced Rifleman, or VIPER.

Enterprise business processes are more connected than ever before, driven by the ability to share the right information with the right partners at the right time. While this interconnectedness and situational awareness is crucial to success, it also opens the possibility for misuse of the same capabilities by sophisticated adversaries to spread attacks and corrupt critical, sensitive information. This is particularly true for an insider threat scenario in which adversaries have legitimate access to some resources and unauthorized access to other resources that is not directly controlled by a fine-grained policy.

Molecules have internal motions that are characteristic of their structure and identity. These motions can be studied by spectroscopy in different regions of the electromagnetic spectrum. Molecular spectra can be used as a “fingerprint” to unambiguously state whether or not a particular chemical is present and in what amount. As such, small portable spectrometers are frequently used as components of chemical sensors.

A miniature, portable wireless vital signs monitor (MWVSM), called Mini-medic™, could aid in the triage and diagnosis of trauma patients with and without traumatic brain injury (TBI). The MWVSM consists of two components, both of which are the approximate size and weight of a cellphone: one is a sensor that is placed either on the forehead or the fingertip of a patient, and the other is a monitor that receives a wireless signal transmitted up to 100 m carried by the medic.