INSIDER: Propulsion

Ducted Fans for Aircraft Propulsion

One alternative aircraft propulsion technology being explored is an array of electrically powered ducted fans distributed across the wing span or integrated into the wing. Researchers are studying the...

INSIDER: Sensors/Data Acquisition

Electronic Warfare Creates Battlefield on a Different Wavelength

Soldiers on the ground are now capable of rapidly reacting to electronic and cyber data rather than waiting on their higher echelons. Soldiers assigned to Headquarters and...

INSIDER: Aerospace

Sandia Delivers First DOE Sounding Rocket Program Since 1990s

A new rocket program could help cut research and development time for new weapons systems from as many as 15 years to less than five. Sandia National Laboratories developed...

INSIDER: Nanotechnology

Army, ASU Collaboration Produces Alloy with Superhero-Like Strength

Researchers from the U.S. Army Research Laboratory and Arizona State University (ASU) have designed a super-strong alloy of copper and tantalum that can withstand...

Articles: Sensors/Data Acquisition

2018 Create the Future Design Contest: Aerospace & Defense Category Winner

DETECTING PLASTIC LANDMINES

Hidden PFM-1 anti-personnel landmines are unexploded ordnance (UXO) devices that pose a difficult challenge to conventional...

INSIDER: Aerospace

Optimizing Winglets for More Efficient Flight

Airplane winglets reduce drag, which can translate to higher speed or to allow a pilot to throttle back and save fuel. It also helps to reduce wingtip vortices that can be problematic for...

INSIDER: Materials

Smart Materials Boost Jet Engine Efficiency and Reduce Noise

A group of new smart materials has the potential to significantly improve the efficiency of jet engines, cutting the cost of flying. The materials, which could also reduce...

INSIDER: Aerospace

NASA Tests Next-Generation Composite Wing

Two series of structural tests on a uniquely designed, high-aspect-ratio, lightweight experimental test article could demonstrate a new method of wing design and fabrication. The Passive...

INSIDER: Defense

Blast Tube Tests Simulate Shock Waves Nuclear Weapons Could Face

You can learn a lot from a blast tube when you couple blast experiments with computer modeling. Sandia National Laboratories researchers are using a blast tube configurable...

INSIDER: Sensors/Data Acquisition

Unique Chamber Gives Air Force Real-World Corrosion Test Capabilities

Aircraft corrosion is a multi-faceted issue that requires more than a simple, one-dimensional approach. To enable Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) personnel to...

INSIDER: Robotics, Automation & Control

Army Developing Next Generation Combat Vehicles

While the Army's current combat fleet is composed of very capable vehicles, they have been in the inventory for decades and their ability to overmatch peer capabilities in close combat is...

INSIDER: Aerospace

Tiny Satellites Track Global Storms

NASA’s RainCube, a satellite small enough to fit in a backpack, shrinks weather radar into a low-cost, miniature satellite that can provide a real-time look inside storms. The satellite’s...

INSIDER: Aerospace

Insect-Inspired Micro-Drone

A flying robot, developed by TU Delft researchers, is an autonomous, free-flying and agile flapping-wing micro-drone. Inspired by fruit flies, the robot’s control mechanisms have proved to be highly...

INSIDER: Aerospace

Wing Anti-Frosting Fights Ice with Ice

A passive anti-frosting surface was developed that keeps surfaces 90 percent dry and frost-free indefinitely – all without any chemicals or energy inputs. The anti-frosting surface was tested on...

Products: Motion Control

New Products: October 2018 Aerospace & Defense Technology

Microstepping Motor Driver

US Digital (Vancouver, WA) announced the release of the MD3 Programmable Microstepping Motor Driver, capable of driving motors from NEMA size 14...

Articles: Electronics & Computers

Using Electromagnetic Brakes to Keep Thrust Reversers IN PLACE

Applying reverse thrust redirecting engine power to oppose the direction of travel is a standard technique for decelerating aircraft after touchdown. The approach saves wear on...

Articles: Sensors/Data Acquisition

Digital Transformation for a CONNECTED ENTERPRISE

Manufacturers around the world are grappling with the challenge of continuous innovation in the face of increasing complexity. In aerospace and defense (A&D), complexity is nothing new,...

Articles: Electronics & Computers

Thermostatic Solutions for Temperature Control Applications

The wax-filled thermostatic element was invented in 1936 by Sergius Vernet (1899-1968). Its principal application was in automotive thermostats used in the engine cooling system....

Articles: Aerospace

Compact Power Amplifier Solution for Electronic Warfare

Wolfspeed, a Cree company, provides field-tested silicon carbide (SiC) and gallium nitride (GaN) power and RF solutions. As a leader in wide-bandgap semiconductor technology, Wolfspeed...

Articles: Aerospace

Detecting Drones with Doppler-Based Radar

As drones become more commonplace, the need to secure facilities from the high-definition cameras and potential dangerous payloads has caused a rapid growth of counter-drone technologies.

Articles: Aerospace

Bringing RF into the Embedded World: It's Time

Embedded systems have been almost entirely digital throughout their long history, while RF and microwave technologies were separate subsystems with no effective interface between the two. For...

Application Briefs: Sensors/Data Acquisition

Military Vehicle Situational Awareness System

Computech International (CTI)
Tikva, Israel
+972-3-9211110
www.cti-intl.com

Computech International (CTI), a company that specializes in advanced, unique military IT and...

Application Briefs: Software

T-45 Virtual/Augmented Reality Training Technology

Bohemia Interactive Simulations (BISim)
Orlando, FL
1-407-608-7000
https://bisimulations.com

Bohemia Interactive Simulations (BISim), a global developer of advanced...

Application Briefs: Defense

Radar System

RADA Electronic Industries Ltd.
Netanya, Israel
+972-9-892-1111
www.rada.com

RADA Electronic Industries Ltd., an Israeli-based company that specializes in the development and production of tactical land radar...

Application Briefs: Mechanical & Fluid Systems

Unmanned Aerial Refueling Aircraft

General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc.
Poway, CA
858-312-2810
www.ga-asi.com

General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) is using an integrated fuel tank structure to maximize...

Briefs: Test & Measurement

Burner Rig Testing of A500® C/SiC

There is growing interest in developing, testing, and deploying ceramic-matrix composites (CMCs) into commercial and military aerospace gas turbine engines due to their durability under extreme conditions...

Briefs: Materials

Space Debris Orbit and Attitude Prediction for Enhanced and Efficient Space Situational Awareness

This research deals with the problem of modelling the orbit and attitude motion of uncontrolled manmade objects in orbit about the Earth, which...

Briefs: Materials

Fundamental Aspects of Single Molecule and Zeptomole Electroanalysis

The objective of this research program was to provide the fundamental understanding required for using the principles of electroanalytical chemistry to detect target...