INSIDER: Defense

New Boeing Method Accelerates Turbulence Modeling Uncertainty Analysis

Boeing has long used computational tools as part of its aircraft design process, but now engineers at the world’s largest aerospace company are increasingly...

INSIDER: Aerospace

Drone Flies Freely with Independently Controlled Wings

A research team designed the main wings of the Nsphere aerial vehicle to be controlled separately and independently. The drone with independently controlled wings can take off and...

INSIDER: Defense

NASA Takes Aviation Research to the ‘Max’

NASA and the German Aerospace Center (DLR) are studying what happens with engine performance, emissions, and contrail formation when using different types of fuels in jet engines. The...

INSIDER: Communications

‘Quantum Radio’ May Aid Communications Indoors, Underground, Underwater

Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have demonstrated that quantum physics might enable communications and mapping in...

INSIDER: Photonics/Optics

Air Force Research Lab and Industry Advance Multi-Junction Solar Cells

Experts at the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) continue to expand the scope of their technological expertise, rising above the Earth’s surface to meet the...

INSIDER: Aerospace

Army Partners with Marine Corps on 3-D Printed Drones

Army researchers are working with the Marines to develop 3-D printed drones as materials science, aviation technology and software development merge to deliver new capabilities.

INSIDER: Manufacturing & Prototyping

NASA Tests 3D-Printed Rocket Part

Engineers successfully hot-fire-tested an RS-25 rocket engine with a large 3D-printed part for the first time, marking a key step toward reducing costs for future engines that power NASA’s new...

INSIDER: Defense

Unmanned Helicopter Enables Rapid Resupply

Autonomy options for the Marine Corps have taken a major step forward, as the Office of Naval Research completed a helicopter flight demonstration with autonomous capability that will enable the...

INSIDER: Aerospace

Drones More Damaging to Aircraft than Birds

An FAA study concluded that drone collisions with aircraft cause more structural damage than birds of the same weight for given impact speed. Even small unmanned aircraft systems can do...

INSIDER: Data Acquisition

NASA Data Aids California Wildfire Response

NASA’s Earth resources aircraft, as well as multiple satellites, are providing critical data to aid various agencies responding to the wildfires damaging vast areas of southern California....

INSIDER: Energy

New Invention Could Lead to Novel Terahertz Light Sources

A new device could open new avenues for the generation of high-frequency radiation with applications in science, radar, communications, security and medical imaging.

INSIDER: Aerospace

New Unmanned Air System Tested on USS Coronado

Researchers from the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) successfully tested their Nomad flight vehicle off of USS Coronado (LCS 4) recently. This test demonstrated the Nomad’s upgraded...

INSIDER: Defense

Army Developing Lasers That Pierce Fog, Dust to Destroy Targets

A lot of people think that high-energy lasers, or HELs, can't penetrate fog, rain and dust, said Thomas Webber, director of the Directed Energy Division's Technical Center,...

News: Aerospace

Expert INSIDER: How Mehdi Khorrami Uses Simulation to Address Aircraft Noise

NASA’s Mehdi Khorrami explains how he uses high-performance computing to handle one of the FAA’s biggest complaints: aircraft noise.

Products: Motion Control

New Products: December 2017 Aerospace & Defense Technology

Boundary-Scan Test Hardware Interface

JTAG Technologies (Eindhoven, the Netherlands) announced the immediate release of a new JTAG/boundary-scan test hardware interface...

Articles: Software

Quality Control for Additive Manufacturing Parts Using Non-Destructive Testing

Additive Manufacturing (AM) is growing in importance as a fabrication process for the space industry, enabling weight and cost savings through optimized designs...

Articles: Materials

Developing a Conformal Coating Process for Aerospace Applications

Conformal coatings protect electronic circuits from harsh environments via a chemical film that “conforms” to a circuit board’s topography. These coatings protect...

Articles: Electronics & Computers

Designing With MIL-STD-1553B Components

The interconnected backbone of a MIL-STD-1553B vehicle depends on the electrical and mechanical reliability of the components, the design, and the installation. With the vast array of MIL-STD-1553B...

Articles: Software

New Products & Services: December 2017 Aerospace Manufacturing & Fabrication

Metric-Sized Metal Shapes

Parker Steel Company (Maumee, OH) offers metric-sized metals suitable for applications where presized metric parts are needed....

Articles: Photonics/Optics

Identifying and Isolating Signals Using Radio Frequency Photonics

A single antenna can be used for both transmission and reception. To accomplish this, the transmission must be isolated from the reception. In Figure 1, a radio frequency...

Articles: Manufacturing & Prototyping

Using Thermoplastic Composites for Aerospace Applications

Recent advancements in composite production and processing are making thermoplastics a viable option in a wider array of aerospace applications.

Articles: Aerospace

Improving the Surface Finish of Additive Manufactured Parts

South West Metal Finishing has been working on an additive manufacturing surface treatment process for the last three years and believes it could be the future choice of aircraft...

Articles: Aerospace

High-Reliability Capacitors

Maintaining technological superiority remains critical for national defense forces. Many face informal adversaries that are adept at harnessing today’s sophisticated civilian technologies, like mobiles, M2M...

Articles: Sensors/Data Acquisition

WIAMan

The newest crash test dummy in development is actually a blast test dummy. WIAMan (Warrior Injury Assessment Manikin) is a ground-breaking anthropomorphic test device (ATD) being developed by the U.S. Army. It’s the first...

Application Briefs: Photonics/Optics

Joint Effects Targeting System

U.S. Army Operational Test Command
Fort Hood, TX
254-287-9993
www.otc.army.mil

Forward observers, experts in directing artillery and mortar fire onto enemy targets, have been testing a new...

Application Briefs: Defense

Gun-Mounted Rangefinder

Optics 1, Inc. (Safran)
Bedford, NH
603-296-0469
www.optics1.com

Optics 1, Inc. (Safran) recently announced that its Integrated Compact Ultralight Gun-mounted Rangefinder (ICUGR) has been selected by...

Application Briefs: Defense

Enterprise Imaging System

Fujifilm Medical Systems U.S.A., Inc.
Stamford, CT
1-800-872-3854
www.fujifilmhealthcare.com

Fujifilm Medical Systems U.S.A., Inc., was recently awarded a new 10-year contract with a maximum value...

Application Briefs: Defense

3D Printed Aircraft Parts

Stratasys Direct Manufacturing
Valencia, CA
1-888-311-1017
www.stratasysdirect.com

Stratasys Direct Manufacturing, a subsidiary of Stratasys Ltd., was recently chosen by Airbus to produce 3D printed...

Briefs: Aerospace

High Temperature Graphene-Peek Adhesive

Joining of composites can be a challenging issue. If adhesives are used, the joints are permanent and cannot be undone. If they need to be undone, inserts are often used and these inserts increase cost...