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Aerospace

Study Could Help Aircraft Avoid Dynamic Stall

University of Illinois researchers are studying the physics of dynamic stall so that it can be used beneficially and reliably by aircraft. The problem has been studied at low speeds but at...

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Energy

Discovery Could Lead to Munitions That Go Further, Much Faster

Researchers from the U.S. Army and top universities discovered a new way to get more energy out of energetic materials containing aluminum, common in battlefield systems, by...

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Sensors/Data Acquisition

NIF Experiments Support Warhead Life Extension

It was a normal morning for design physicist Madison Martin at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL). At 7:45 a.m., she settled into her classified workstation with a cup of tea to...

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Electronics & Computers

Navy Launches Virtual Training Tech for Aircraft Carrier Flight Deck Crews

One of the most dangerous environments in the U.S. Navy is the deck of an aircraft carrier. Catapult systems that can remove limbs, furious engines, whipping...

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Aerospace

Porous and Stiff Material for Aircraft Lightweighting

Researchers have developed and manufactured a family of architectures that maximizes the stiffness of porous, lightweight materials. 3D printing and other additive production...

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Aerospace

NASA Experiments Fly on Virgin Galactic Spacecraft

Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo successfully flew to suborbital space last month with four NASA-supported technology payloads onboard. NASA’s Flight Opportunities Program purchased...

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Aerospace

Foldable Drone Flies Through Narrow Holes

A new drone was developed that can retract its propeller arms in flight and make itself small to fit through narrow gaps and holes. This is particularly useful when searching for victims of...

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Aerospace

Virtual Runway, Real Pilot Practice

When a plane overshoots the final approach, often the pilot’s natural — and dangerous — instinct is to pitch the aircraft up to slow down and land. It’s one of the leading causes of accidents,...

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Aerospace

Improving Performance of Hybrid-Electric Aircraft

Although hybrid-electric cars are becoming commonplace, similar technology applied to airplanes comes with significantly different challenges. University of Illinois aerospace...

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Power

Self-Generated Power Will Reduce Soldier Load

The bionic power knee harvester, also known as the PowerWalk, is an energy-harvesting device that is attached to both the upper and lower areas of both legs and generates power from movement....

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Data Acquisition

Wind Tunnel, Lasers Provide Hypersonic Proving Ground

It’s about speed, and Sandia National Laboratories, with a hypersonic wind tunnel and advanced laser diagnostic technology, is in a position to help U.S. defense agencies understand...

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Sensors/Data Acquisition

AUDS Goes Undetected With New Ammunition

For the third iteration, the AUDS (anti-unmanned aerial vehicle defense system) recently returned to Fort Sill for the Maneuver Fires Integrated Experiment (MFIX). During the last few MFIX events,...

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Aerospace

Smart Skin Simplifies Spotting Strain in Aircraft

Thanks to one peculiar characteristic of carbon nanotubes, engineers will be able to measure the accumulated strain in an airplane over the entire surface or down to microscopic levels....

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Aerospace

Airbus, Georgia Tech Open Aircraft Design Center

Airbus and Georgia Tech opened the Airbus/Georgia Tech Center for Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE)-enabled Overall Aircraft Design (OAD). The center will contribute to the development and demonstration of a concurrent overall aircraft design process with a team of 30 Georgia Tech...

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Aerospace

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...

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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...

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Defense

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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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Test & Measurement

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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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Aerospace

3D-Printed Turbine Extends Drone Power

A cooled, radial gas turbine was developed that provides thousands of hours of electricity to an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), a significant improvement to current UAV turbines that only operate a...

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Aerospace

De-Icing Without Power or Chemicals

A buildup of ice on an airplane wing can cause catastrophic failure. But preventing that buildup usually requires energy-intensive heating systems or chemical sprays that are environmentally harmful. A...

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