Aurora Unveils New eVTOL Aircraft at Uber Elevate Summit



Collaborative partnership aims to shape the future of on-demand, urban air transportation Dallas, Texas, April 25, 2017 – Uber announced today that it has selected Aurora Flight Sciences as a partner to develop electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft for its Uber Elevate Network. The formal announcement of the initiative partners took place at Uber’s Elevate Summit in Dallas, Texas.


“Uber is taking a big step forward toward making the world’s first VTOL network a reality and our partnership with Aurora Flight Sciences will help get us off the ground,” said Mark Moore, Director of Engineering for Uber. “The Elevate VTOL network will help improve urban mobility around the world and transform the way we travel.”


Aurora’s eVTOL concept is derived from its XV-24A X-plane program currently underway for the U.S. Department of Defense and other autonomous aircraft the company has developed over the years. Aurora has adapted and combined the autonomous flight guidance system from its Centaur optionallypiloted aircraft, the perception and collision avoidance system from the AACUS program, and the battery electric propulsion system from the XV-24A demonstrator to create the innovative eVTOL design.


“The Uber Elevate mission is all about low noise, high reliability, and low cost,” said Aurora CEO John Langford. “By drawing on our nearly 30 years of successful autonomy and robotic programs, Aurora is well positioned to deliver on this urban solution. We have already built and flown the first proof-of-concept aircraft and we’re excited to partner with Uber in accelerating the eVTOL initiative.”


The partnership agreement provides the basis for a system of urban transportation solutions that will enable users of the Uber Elevate Network to request an Aurora eVTOL aircraft via Uber’s computer or mobile software applications. With the successful first test flight of the aircraft on April 20, 2017, the goal of delivering 50 aircraft for testing by 2020 is well within reach.


You can learn more about Uber’s vision for a future of on-demand urban air transportation at www.uber.com/elevate.pdf and view the first flight of Aurora’s eVTOL aircraft at the following YouTube link https://youtu.be/BSFVvhQP7ws


About Aurora Flight Sciences: Aurora Flight Sciences is an innovative technology company which strives to create smarter aircraft through the development of versatile and intuitive autonomous systems. Operating at the intersection of technology and robotic aviation, Aurora leverages the power of autonomy to make manned and unmanned flight safer and more efficient. Headquartered in Manassas, Virginia, Aurora operates production plants in Bridgeport, West Virginia and Columbus, Mississippi, has Research and Development Centers in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Dayton, Ohio and Mountain View, California, and a European office, Aurora Swiss Aerospace, located in Luzern, Switzerland. To view recent press releases and more about Aurora please visit our website at www.aurora.aero.

miércoles, 26 de abril de 2017

Carter aviation partners with Mooney for Uber elevate air taxi concept with its Electric Slowed Rotor Compound concept

PR and Photo

April 25, 2017 (Wichita Falls, Texas) – Carter Aviation Technologies, LLC (Carter) has teamed up with Mooney International Corporation (Mooney) to explore developing a vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft in support of the Uber Elevate initiative.

The companies announced this partnership at this week’s Uber Elevate Summit during their respective presentations. The aircraft will be a 4-6 seat air taxi for the intra city market, utilizing Carter’s patented Slowed Rotor Compound (SR/C™) technology for efficient hover and efficient cruise at 175 mph, and benefitting from Mooney’s extensive general aviation experience.

 Uber has defined several challenging requirements for this project – requirements that Carter and Mooney are confident they can meet. The aircraft must be powered by all electric propulsion, be much more quiet than existing conventional VTOL aircraft, be capable of fully autonomous flight (although Uber expects to have a pilot onboard for the first several years of operation), cruise efficiently at ~175 mph, and above all else, be extremely safe.

SR/C technology uniquely addresses these requirements. The low disc loaded single main rotor can operate at low tip speeds in hover to reduce takeoff and landing noise, and be slowed in cruise to reduce cruise noise and allow for high speed efficiency on par with a fixed wing aircraft. And with the high inertia rotor always turning, it can operate in effect as a built in parachute, but one that can be ‘deployed’ at any altitude or any airspeed, and one which allows for directional control all the way down to the ground.

“We’re excited to be working with Mooney,” stated Jay Carter, Jr., Founder and CEO of Carter Aviation. “They’re a tremendous company with a prestigious history of high performance aircraft. In fact, I used to own a Mooney M20. They bring a lot of engineering expertise and a lot of experience in developing a product to market and getting it certified. I’m looking forward to this partnership, and can’t wait to see what we can achieve.”

For more information on Uber Elevate, please visit Uber Elevate or the Uber Elevate Summit page. For information about Mooney, please visit their website, Mooney International. About Carter Aviation Technologies, LLC. Carter Aviation is a Wichita Falls, Texas based aerospace research and development firm that has developed and demonstrated its Slowed-Rotor/Compound (SR/C™) Technology. More information is available at www.CarterCopters.com. To discuss any of the foregoing or schedule a visit to Carter Aviation’s facilities, please contact Jeff Lewis at Jeff.Lewis@CarterAero.com.

martes, 25 de abril de 2017

Second Boeing T-X Aircraft Takes Flight



Boeing [NYSE: BA] and partner Saab [Stockholm: SAABB] have completed the first flight of their second production-ready T-X aircraft, which is identical to the first and designed specifically for the U.S. Air Force advanced pilot training requirement.

During the one-hour flight, lead T-X Test Pilot Steve Schmidt and Boeing Test Pilot for Air Force Programs Matt Giese validated key aspects of the aircraft and further demonstrated the low-risk and performance of the design, proving its repeatability in manufacturing.

“The jet handled exactly like the first aircraft and the simulator, meeting all expectations,” said Giese. “The front and back cockpits work together seamlessly and the handling is superior. It’s the perfect aircraft for training future generations of combat pilots.”

Both pilots trained for the flight using the complete Boeing T-X system, which includes ground-based training and simulation.

“Our successful flight test program is a testament to the fact that our offering is the right choice for the U.S. Air Force,” said Schmidt. “This aircraft was built to Air Force requirements and designed to fulfill the Air Education and Training Command mission.”

The Boeing T-X aircraft has one engine, twin tails, stadium seating, and an advanced cockpit with embedded training. The all-new, purpose-built design offers flexibility to evolve as technology, missions, and training needs change.

Boeing and Saab revealed their design in September 2016 and flew the first aircraft last December.

T-X will replace the Air Force’s aging T-38 aircraft. Initial operating capability is planned for 2024.

Get the latest Boeing T-X updates at www.boeing.com/t-x or by searching #NewBoeingTX on Twitter. Media can also access photos and video of the first flight at http://bds.navigon.net; user name: TX_2017; password: TX4USAF; folder: T-X. Continue to check back for updated content.

Swedish defense and security company Saab serves the global market with world-leading products, services and solutions ranging from military defense to civil security. Saab has operations and employees on all continents and constantly develops, adopts and improves new technology to meet customers’ changing needs. Saab is a $4 billion business with approximately 14,000 employees in about 35 countries. Follow us on Twitter: @Saab.

For more about Boeing Defense, Space & Security, visit www.boeing.com. Follow us on Twitter: @BoeingDefense.

MIT Flies a High-Tech Test Plane With the U.S. Air Force [feedly]

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology operates a heavily-modified Boeing 707-321B, which it calls "Hannah," as a communications and sensor testbed in cooperation with the U.S. Air Force.|
 Photos of Hannah are rare. Rich Barnett snapped two new ones on April 14, 2017 at Hanscom Air Force Base in Massachusetts. Hannah,...
https://warisboring.com/mit-flies-a-high-tech-test-plane-with-the-u-s-air-force/

 -- via my feedly newsfeed

U.S. F-35A stealth fighters to move to Estonia tomorrow. Meanwhile, the British Typhoons have arrived in Romania. [feedly]

Some of the F-35A Lightning II aircraft currently at RAF Lakenheath will forward deploy to Estonia tomorrow. Meanwhile, the first RAF Typhoons have arrived in Romania. According to information available to the Estonia ERR media outlet, an unspecified number of F-35s will arrive at Ämari air base, Estonia, on Tuesday, Apr. 25. "The jets will […]



https://theaviationist.com/2017/04/24/u-s-f-35a-stealth-fighters-to-move-to-estonia-tomorrow-meanwhile-the-british-typhoons-have-arrived-in-romania/

 -- via my feedly newsfeed

U.S. Army, U.S. Navy, and U.S. Air Force Academies Swarm Challenge Live-Fly Competition Begins



DARPA press release

https://youtu.be/ufidH_M0RqQ

https://youtu.be/APn-Gc0ibFg




U.S. Army, U.S. Navy, and U.S. Air Force academy teams compete in education-focused experiment to pave the way for future offensive and defensive swarm tactics for warfighters




Small unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and other robots have become increasingly affordable, capable, and available to both the U.S. military and adversaries alike. Enabling UAVs and similar assets to perform useful tasks under human supervision—that is, carrying out swarm tactics in concert with human teammates—holds tremendous promise to extend the advantages U.S. warfighters have in field operations. A persistent challenge in achieving this capability, however, has been scalability: enabling one operator to oversee multiple robotic platforms and have them perform highly autonomous behaviors without direct teleoperation.

To help make effective swarm tactics a reality, DARPA created the Service Academies Swarm Challenge, a collaboration between the Agency and the three U.S. military Service academies—the U.S. Military Academy, the U.S. Naval Academy, and the U.S. Air Force Academy. An experiment at its heart, the research effort is designed to encourage students to develop innovative offensive and defensive tactics for swarms of small UAVs. Today the effort started its three-day Live-Fly Competition at Camp Roberts, a California Army National Guard post north of Paso Robles, Calif., which is hosting more than 40 Cadets and Midshipmen to demonstrate the highly autonomous swarm tactics they have developed since work started in September.

“In less than eight months, you have shown yourselves to be dedicated and talented participants in a complex and timely research effort,” Timothy Chung, the DARPA program manager leading the Swarm Challenge, told the teams. “DARPA is proud to have you—our future warfighters and Service leaders—participating in this endeavor to explore offensive and defensive swarm tactics. Now is your chance to show each other, DARPA, and our invited Defense Department guests your precedent-setting work toward an important goal: helping future U.S. forces maintain superiority in tomorrow’s technological and mission environments.”

“Not to mention your chance to claim bragging rights over your rival academies,” he added.



Teams
The Service Academies Swarm Challenge is the most recent example of how DARPA works to ensure the technological superiority of U.S. military forces by periodically engaging the U.S. military Service academies in research-oriented competitions. These competitions aim to cultivate the great potential of young officers-to-be and encourage their career-long collaboration with DARPA. In both 2014 and 2015, for example, DARPA conducted the DARPA Service Academy Innovation Challenge and the Service Academies Cyber Stakes.

A fourth-year capstone design course, the Swarm Challenge has pushed students to achieve “zero to swarm in eight months.” The goal: help the academies go from having little swarm-related expertise to developing capabilities with potentially near-term applicability for operational training and fielding—all within one academic year.

“This is one of the first opportunities for the next generation of operators and tacticians to explore and understand swarm-versus-swarm interactions,” Chung said. “It's not just about the platforms or the links or the communications—it’s about behaviors. That's one of the key takeaways for the Service Academies Swarm Challenge: that we're really zeroing in on swarm tactics as a battle skill. That's where advances will reap innovative benefits for future warfighters.”

Ranging in size from 11 to 21 students, the teams bring cross-disciplinary expertise in diverse technical and nontechnical fields, from computer science, robotics, and systems engineering to military strategy and operations. The students also bring fresh insights that DARPA and the U.S. military can learn from—and potentially expand upon—to enhance the tactical effectiveness of swarm systems.

DARPA provided all the hardware, much of the software, and a lot of know-how to get the teams started. The Agency also developed new support infrastructure to enable the teams to practice and compete in a virtual environment in preparation for this week. DARPA initially provided some example swarm tactics and the teams have since designed a number of their own to debut at the Live-Fly Competition.




Gameplay
The Service Academies Swarm Challenge is testing cutting-edge swarm tactics through a time-honored game that is all about tactics: Capture the Flag. Two teams at a time play inside the Battle Cube, a cubic airspace 500 meters on a side, 78 meters above the ground. Each team has been given 20 fixed-wing UAVs and 20 quad-rotor UAVs and, under the rules of play, can field a mixed fleet of up to 25 UAVs for each of two 30-minute battle rounds. Each team protects its “flag” (a large, inflatable ground target) while trying to score the most points before time runs out.

Teams seek to score the most points in the following ways:
Air-to-air “tags” by using a simulated (virtual) weapon to hit a sensor on an opponent’s UAV in flight
Air-to-ground “tags” by physically landing a UAV on the opponent’s “flag” located on the ground
Accomplishments in swarm logistics by launching as many UAVs as quickly as possible and keeping them aloft as long as possible

As scheduled over the next three days, the first match pits Air Force against Army; the second, Army plays Navy, and the third match has Navy squaring off against Air Force. The team that wins both of its matches wins the competition and takes home a trophy and bragging rights.

Technical Challenges
While people often think about swarms as simply being large collections of robots, swarms in fact have five defining characteristics: number, agent complexity, collective complexity, heterogeneity, and human-swarm interaction. The Service Academies Swarm Challenge is designed to explore these characteristics as they apply to both offensive and defensive swarm tactics, and to harness and leverage them for warfighter benefit.

Operationalizing swarm-related capabilities poses many significant challenges, from technology (e.g., battery size and life, user interfaces) to logistics (e.g., transport, upkeep) to understanding the limitations of what swarms can do. The Swarm Challenge provides an experimental testbed that manages these challenges so the academy students can focus on creating innovative swarm tactics.

DARPA’s interest in developing breakthrough swarm capabilities for national security extends beyond the Swarm Challenge to a number of current programs exploring autonomy, communications, and other technologies, including:
Collaborative Operations in Denied Environment (CODE)
Fast Lightweight Autonomy (FLA)
OFFensive Swarm-Enabled Tactics (OFFSET)


Looking Ahead
The results of the Live-Fly Competition remain to be seen but the Service Academies Swarm Challenge has already planted the seeds for future growth in the increasingly important domain of swarm tactics. Thanks to the past eight months of work, all three academies now have basic curricula and frameworks for conducting unique, accelerated research and field experiments on swarm tactics. The institutions also have dozens of students who have worked side-by-side with leading-edge researchers and operators experienced with advancing the state of knowledge of swarm systems.



“The Cadets and Midshipmen participating in the Service Academies Swarm Challenge will soon be officers, where they can further hone their swarm-tactics skills and share their know-how with fellow Service members,” Chung said. “Building on the lessons they have learned, they can help accelerate us toward a near future in which Service members are able to quickly take advantage of anticipated advances in unmanned aerial system technologies and apply their skills in new and ever more creative ways. No matter which academy comes out on top here, U.S. warfighters will be the ultimate winners.”

Aerojet Rocketdyne Successfully Completes Qualification Tests on Reusable Engine to Support Next Era of Human Spaceflight from the United States

PR

Aerojet Rocketdyne, Inc., a subsidiary of Aerojet Rocketdyne Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:AJRD), has successfully completed hot-fire qualification tests of an engine that demonstrates the ability to meet reusability requirements for Boeing's Crew Space Transportation (CST)-100 Starliner crew module propulsion system. The tests were conducted on Aerojet Rocketdyne's MR-104J hydrazine monopropellant engine in Redmond, Washington. For NASA service missions to the International Space Station, Boeing's Starliner spacecraft will carry up to four astronauts and time-critical scientific research.

"Our engineers have incorporated a unique design that will allow the MR-104 engine to be used on multiple missions, providing the reliability, cost-efficiency and reusability our customer needs to be competitive in the current commercial space environment," said Aerojet Rocketdyne CEO and President Eileen Drake. "We look forward to delivering the engines for the crew module and continuing our proud heritage of enabling astronauts to fly to the International Space Station from U.S. soil."

The Starliner crew module propulsion system will use 12 MR-104J engines for reaction control to orient the vehicle during re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere. Prior to re-entry, attitude control is provided by the Service Module Engines, also provided by Aerojet Rocketdyne.

The MR-104J, designed by Aerojet Rocketdyne, was developed and tested under the company's Commercial Crew Transportation Capability (CCtCap) subcontract to Boeing. Similar to other reaction control system engines, the MR-104J includes additional features to increase redundancy that meet critical requirements and improved strength to withstand multiple shocks at operating temperatures. The engine upgrades also provide reusability for Boeing as it certifies Starliner crew modules for multiple missions.

Under the CCtCap subcontract to Boeing, Aerojet Rocketdyne will provide propulsion system hardware that includes Crew Module Reaction Control engines; Launch Abort Engines, Orbital Maneuvering and Attitude Control thrusters, and Service Module Reaction Control System thrusters. Boeing will assemble propulsion hardware into the Starliner spacecraft at its Commercial Crew and Cargo Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Aerojet Rocketdyne is an innovative company delivering solutions that create value for its customers in the aerospace and defense markets. The company is a world-recognized aerospace and defense leader that provides propulsion and energetics to the space, missile defense and strategic systems, tactical systems and armaments areas, in support of domestic and international markets. Additional information about Aerojet Rocketdyne can be obtained by visiting our websites at www.Rocket.com and www.AerojetRocketdyne.com.

Lilium (autonomous electric VTOL aircraft) celebrates successful maiden flight and introduces 5-seater VTOL jet

Lilium's press release: https://lilium.com/news/







https://youtu.be/ohig71bwRUE





We have incredibly exciting news to share. The Lilium Jet successfully completed its maiden test flight series in the skies above Bavaria. The 2-seater Eagle prototype executed a range of complex maneuvers, including its signature mid-air transition from hover mode to wing-borne forward flight.

Seeing the Lilium Jet take to the sky and performing sophisticated maneuvers with apparent ease is testament to the skill and perseverance of our amazing team. We have solved some of the toughest engineering challenges in aviation to get to this point. The successful test flight programme shows that our ground-breaking technical design works exactly as we envisioned. We can now turn our focus to designing a 5-seater production aircraft.




We are now developing a larger, 5-seater version of our Lilium Jet, designed for on-demand air taxi and ridesharing services. A typical journey with the Lilium Jet will be at least 5x faster than by car, with even greater efficiencies in busy cities. So a flight from Manhattan to New York’s JFK Airport will take around 5 minutes, compared to the 55 minutes it would take you by car.



Please make sure you read more about Lilium’s mission and technology.

As well as making great progress in the air, we’ve also updated our Lilium brand. Enjoy our new website, we hope you like it!

Bell Helicopter to Exhibit Future of Warfighting at Army Aviation Summit



Bell Helicopter, a Textron Inc. (NYSE: TXT) company, announced its show plans for the 2017 Army Aviation Mission Solutions Summit in Nashville, Tenn., April 26-28, 2017. The company will display its full-size mockup of the Bell V-280 Valor next generation aircraft, as well as the newly introduced Bell V-247 Vigilant tiltrotor model.

View the media kit for the show here.

“The Army Aviation Summit provides a great venue for engaging with our current and future customers, as well as displaying our products that bring game-changing capabilities to the warfighter,” said Vince Tobin, Bell Helicopter’s vice president of Advanced Tiltrotor Systems. “The disruptive technology of tiltrotor flight delivers unmatched efficiency and range unavailable with traditional rotorcraft. We look forward to the discussions and engagements with our military customers on how this aircraft will enable multi-domain battle.”

Throughout the show, Bell Helicopter will present next-level technology, including an immersive virtual reality experience of the Bell V-280 that will highlight mission capabilities of the aircraft, and an opportunity to fly the V-280 simulator setup in the booth – showcasing the future of vertical lift. In addition, the V-280 mockup will be shown in both attack and utility configurations, demonstrating the aircraft’s versatility.

The V-280 tiltrotor has been designed to provide unmatched speed, range and payload, along with unmatched agility at the objective. The aircraft will provide the best value in operations and maintenance costs, and is being designed with sustainability, affordability, and ease of manufacturing in mind.

The Bell V-247 tiltrotor is a Group 5 unmanned aerial system (UAS) that will combine the vertical lift capability of a helicopter with the speed and range of a conventional fixed-wing aircraft. The revolutionary UAS is designed to provide unmatched long-endurance persistent expeditionary and surveillance capability and lethal reach, as well as runway independence to operate successfully in maritime environments and locations without secure runway availability.

The Army Aviation Mission Solutions Summit provides the Army Aviation community with the opportunity for professional development, and brings together Army Aviation, government leaders and industry representatives. Attendees will be able to hear leadership messages in general sessions, network with fellow attendees in deep dive sessions on technology and training, and attend presentations from U.S. Army leadership. The annual show also features recognition ceremonies for deserving Aviation soldiers and units.

- See more at: http://investor.textron.com/news/news-releases/press-release-details/2017/Bell-Helicopter-to-Exhibit-Future-of-Warfighting-at-Army-Aviation-Summit/default.aspx#sthash.py0VU9kB.dpuf

Rotorcraft Asia: Multiple orders for Bell 429



Rotorcraft Asia 2017 has seen a number of orders for Bell Helicopter including four Model 429s which are to be delivered across Asia-Pacific, from the Philippines to Bangladesh.

Terra Barbaza Aviation has ordered an additional Bell 429 to add to its current fleet of one in the Philippines. The aircraft will be utilised for corporate/VIP transport.

In addition, a purchase agreement for one example was signed at the show between the OEM and Meghna Aviation in Bangladesh.

Two 429s are also being delivered to Indonesian private general trading company PT Carpediem Mandiri – the aircraft will be supplied to the flight calibration department of the Indonesian Ministry of Transportation.

The company focuses on vehicle rental services. Sameer Rehman, managing director of Asia Pacific at Bell Helicopter, commented on the 429s' mission with the operator.

'[The] deliveries mark the first time a Bell 429 has been configured for flight calibration missions, and it brings us great pride to support the Indonesian Ministry of Transportation in this important effort,' he said.

The Bell 429s will be performing calibration for helicopter ground instrument landing and departing systems at airports, heliports and helipads.

Aerodata is introducing its flight inspection system known as AD-HELIFIS on the Bell 429 and this order marks the second helicopter internationally and the first of the type operating with the technology.

Lastly, adding to the roster of 429s signed for at the show, Tata Steel Group, based in Mumbai, India, has purchased a second aircraft to support its steel production operations.

Sikorsky Announces Expanded Support in Asia with Plans for New Customer Support Center



Singapore, April 18, 2017 – Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin Company today announced plans to expand its S-92® and S-76™ helicopter support services in the Asia-Pacific region. Thai Aviation Services is scheduled to become the first Sikorsky Customer Support Center in Thailand by the end of 2017. The announcement was made at the inaugural 2017 Rotorcraft Asia show.

“This decision further exemplifies Sikorsky’s commitment to the Asia-Pacific region and to our continued focus on customer support excellence,” said Christophe Nurit, Sikorsky’s regional sales executive, Asia. “As the preferred service center in Thailand, Thai Aviation Services will provide a critical role in offering the highest level of support for Sikorsky helicopters in a strategically important region.”

“Thai Aviation Services has a long-standing partnership with Sikorsky over the past 25 years. We look forward to expanding this partnership through the designation as a Customer Support Center and putting our extensive experience operating Sikorsky aircraft to use for the benefit of supporting all Sikorsky aircraft operating in the Asia Pacific region,” said Craig Havas, Thai Aviation Services Deputy Managing Director – Operations, and S-92 Chief Pilot.

Customer Support Centers enable quick access to Sikorsky logistics and spare parts inventory for operators while providing advanced service capabilities. This support center will represent Sikorsky’s seventh in the Asia-Pacific region and add to the growing network of 20 Sikorsky support centers world-wide.

In addition to authorized support centers, Sikorsky’s customer support organization maintains four forward stocking locations in S-92 and S-76 fleet-concentrated regions and fields more than 100 customer service representatives, all connected through Sikorsky’s state-of-the-art Customer Care Center in Trumbull, Connecticut.

Sikorsky and Thai Aviation Services have done business together for more than 25 years. Thai Aviation Services operates only Sikorsky helicopters and recently renewed its existing fleet of commercial helicopters with five S-76D™ medium lift and two S-92 heavy lift aircraft. These aircraft enable the Bangkok-based operator to continue its track record of providing safe, reliable helicopter transportation to oil and gas customers in the Gulf of Thailand.

For additional information, visit: Sikorsky Commercial Systems & Services

Long Range Discrimination Radar Program Led by Lockheed Martin Achieves Preliminary Design Review On-Schedule

Lockheed Martin announces new Solid State Radar Integration Site that will significantly reduce risk before the missile defense radar is constructed in Alaska


MOORESTOWN, N.J., April 20, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Less than 18 months from contract award, the Long Range Discrimination Radar (LRDR), developed by Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT), passed Preliminary Design Review (PDR), indicating that detailed design on the radar system can move forward. The radar system will support a layered ballistic missile defense strategy to protect the U.S. homeland from ballistic missile attacks.




The Missile Defense Agency (MDA) in 2015 awarded the $784 million contract to Lockheed Martin to develop, build and test LRDR, and the company is on track on an aggressive schedule to deliver the radar to Clear, Alaska. Lockheed Martin passed PDR by demonstrating both a Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 6 and Manufacturing Readiness Level (MRL) 6, putting the team on a path to achieve TRL 7 later this year allowing the program transition to manufacturing. Lockheed Martin utilized a scaled LRDR system to successfully demonstrate Critical Technology Elements (CTEs) in a relevant end to end environment.

During the two-day PDR, representatives from the MDA and the Office of Secretary of Defense, toured Lockheed Martin's facility to see the LRDR Prototype System and the new Solid State Radar Integration Site, a self-funded test facility that will be utilized to demonstrate TRL 7 and provide significant risk reduction for development of LRDR and future solid state radar systems.

"Lockheed Martin is committed to supporting the nation's Integrated Air & Missile Defense and homeland defense missions and we are actively investing in research and technologies that will lead to advanced solutions," said Chandra Marshall, LRDR program director, Lockheed Martin. "The Solid State Radar Integration Site will be used to mature, integrate and test the LRDR design and building blocks before we deliver the radar to Alaska. Using this test site will result in significant cost savings and less risk overall."

Similar to Lockheed Martin's Space Fence radar system, LRDR is a high-powered S-Band radar incorporating solid-state gallium nitride (GaN) components, but is additionally capable of discriminating threats at extreme distances using the inherent wideband capability of the hardware coupled with advanced software algorithms.

"We built an open non-proprietary architecture that allows incorporation of the algorithms from small businesses, labs and the government, to provide an advanced discrimination capability for homeland defense," said Tony DeSimone, vice president, engineering and technology, Lockheed Martin Integrated Warfare Systems and Sensors.

LRDR is a key component of the MDA's Ballistic Missile Defense System (BMDS) and will provide acquisition, tracking and discrimination data to enable separate defense systems to lock on and engage ballistic missile threats, a capability that stems from Lockheed Martin's decades of experience in creating ballistic missile defense systems for the U.S. and allied governments.

Work on LRDR is primarily performed in New Jersey, Alaska, Alabama, Florida and New York.

As a proven world leader in systems integration and development of air and missile defense systems and technologies, Lockheed Martin delivers high-quality missile defense solutions that protect citizens, critical assets and deployed forces from current and future threats. The company's experience spans radar and signal processing, missile design and production, hit-to-kill capabilities, infrared seekers, command and control/battle management, and communications, precision pointing and tracking optics, as well as threat-representative targets for missile defense tests.

For more information, visit www.lockheedmartin.com/lrdr.

Airbus delivers first ever A321neo to Virgin America


Aircraft powered by CFM engines boosts fuel efficiency by at least 15 percent



• Significant reductions in emissions and noise


20 APRIL 2017 PRESS RELEASE


Airbus has delivered the first-ever A321neo. The latest generation aircraft powered by CFM International’s LEAP-1A engines was handed over to U.S. airline Virgin America, an all-Airbus operator, at a ceremony in Hamburg, Germany.


“After Virgin America having been the first customer signing for the A320neo back in December 2010, we are today delighted to deliver the first A321neo to them,” said Fabrice Brégier, Airbus Chief Operating Officer and President Commercial Aircraft. “With our largest, latest, most fuel efficient NEO Single Aisle aircraft we are turning a new page. The new A321neo powered by next generation CFM LEAP-1A engines guarantees new levels of efficiency and longer range to its operators, greater comfort to the flying public and less emissions and noise to the airport communities. Thanks to its cutting edge technologies it is today the most eco-sensitive Single Aisle aircraft available.”


The A320neo significantly reduces noise levels, generating only half the noise footprint compared to previous generation aircraft. Equipped with fuel-saving Sharklet wingtip devices nitrous oxide emissions are 50 percent below regulatory requirements as outlined by the Committee on Aviation Environmental Protection (CAEP). In addition, the aircraft with LEAP-1A engines is proven to deliver at least a 15 percent fuel savings compared to Virgin America’s current generation aircraft, which is equivalent to cutting 5,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions with each plane every year.


“We have been with Virgin America from the beginning and we are excited to launch this new chapter in that relationship,” said Gael Meheust, President and CEO of CFM International. “The LEAP-1A has done extremely well in its first months of commercial service. It is proving unprecedented levels of fuel efficiency and environmental responsibility while maintaining the level of reliability Virgin America has come to expect from CFM. We think they will be very pleased with all this engine has to offer.”


The A321neo is the largest member of the A320neo Family. It covers the entire market, from high density to long-range thin routes. There are currently over 1,300 units on order.


“We are honored to be the first operator of this high in-demand aircraft,” said Virgin America President Peter Hunt, speaking at the ceremony attended by Virgin America teammates, Executives from Airbus, CFM and the aircraft lessor GECAS. “The new A321neo – the third member of the Airbus A320 Family to join our Virgin America fleet – will allow us to further reduce our unit costs and enable us to further reduce our carbon emissions.”


“Increased operational efficiency, productivity, and state-of-the-art technology -- this winning combination makes the A321neo an attractive investment for leasing companies like GECAS who are committed to meeting customers’ operational needs while providing the latest technology and a solid return on investment,” said Alec Burger, President and CEO at GECAS. “The low operating costs and reliability of the LEAP powered A320neo Family make it a strong asset in GECAS’ portfolio.”


Virgin America currently operates a fleet of 63 Airbus A320 family aircraft comprised of A319ceo and A320ceo aircraft powered by CFM’s CFM56-5B engines.


The new A321neo will become the largest aircraft in Virgin America’s fleet, featuring 185 seats - a 24 percent higher capacity at same comfort levels than its current A320s. Inside the cabin, Virgin America flyers will continue to enjoy three custom-designed classes of service, touch-screen personal entertainment and an on-demand food and cocktail menu on every flight in addition to power outlets at every seat. The aircraft is expected to enter service on May 31, 2017 with its inaugural flight from San Francisco International Airport (SFO) to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA).


As first announced in April 2016, Virgin America was acquired by Alaska Air Group in December 2016.

EarthCARE: Japanese Cloud Radar meets its spacecraft for the first time at Airbus’ Satellite Centre in Friedrichshafen



Friedrichshafen, 19/04/2017 – EarthCARE, the Cloud, Aerosol and Radiation Mission of European Space Agency (ESA), met its Cloud Profiling Radar (CPR), the Japanese payload for the mission, for the first time when the Japanese Space Agency (JAXA) handed over the instrument to ESA at Airbus´ Satellite Centre in Friedrichshafen (Germany). Airbus is ESA’s prime contractor to develop and build the EarthCARE satellite.

In the coming weeks, JAXA and ESA teams will run final checks on the instrument before giving a "green light" to the Airbus project team to integrate it with the spacecraft. Once assembled on EarthCARE, it will be tested intensively for several weeks. Then the instrument will be handed back to JAXA for further adjustments before its final integration next year.

EarthCARE will collect global simultaneous observations of cloud and aerosol profiles together with solar and thermal radiation and will include these parameters in numerical weather and climate models.

Due for launch in 2019, EarthCARE will advance the understanding of the role that clouds and aerosols play in reflecting incident solar radiation back to space and trapping infrared radiation emitted from Earth’s surface. Energy in the atmosphere is balance between incoming light from the Sun, which heats Earth, and outgoing thermal radiation, which cools Earth.

Clouds and, to less extent, aerosols reflect incident solar light back out to space, but they also trap outgoing infrared light. This leads to a net effect of either cooling or heating of the planet. In addition, aerosols influence the life cycle of clouds, and so contribute indirectly to their radiative effect.

The CPR instrument is one of four instruments to be integrated on the EarthCARE satellite. This high power millimetre-wave radar will measure the vertical profiles of cloud structures (water / ice content).

Kazakhstan orders two more C295 aircraft



Kazakhstan is to acquire two more Airbus C295 transport aircraft following the signature of a new contract with Airbus Defence and Space.

The agreement, which includes a spares and support package, covers the final two aircraft included in a memorandum of understanding signed in 2012.

Both aircraft will be delivered in the second half of this year and will take the Kazakhstan Air Defence Forces’ C295 fleet to eight and total C295 sales to 186, including 12 in the CIS.

The attached photo shows an earlier C295 delivered to Kazakhstan.

NASA's MAVEN Reveals Most of Mars' Atmosphere Was Lost to Space

press release

Solar wind and radiation are responsible for stripping the Martian atmosphere, transforming Mars from a planet that could have supported life billions of years ago into a frigid desert world, according to new results from NASA's MAVEN spacecraft.
"We've determined that most of the gas ever present in the Mars atmosphere has been lost to space," said Bruce Jakosky, principal investigator for the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution Mission (MAVEN), University of Colorado in Boulder. The team made this determination from the latest results, which reveal that about 65 percent of the argon that was ever in the atmosphere has been lost to space. Jakosky is lead author of a paper on this research to be published in Science on Friday, March 31.
In 2015, MAVEN team members previously announced results that showed atmospheric gas is being lost to space today and described how atmosphere is stripped away. The present analysis uses measurements of today’s atmosphere for the first estimate of how much gas was lost through time.
Liquid water, essential for life, is not stable on Mars' surface today because the atmosphere is too cold and thin to support it. However, evidence such as features resembling dry riverbeds and minerals that only form in the presence of liquid water indicates the ancient Martian climate was much different – warm enough for water to flow on the surface for extended periods.

This infographic shows how Mars lost argon and other gasses over time due to ‘sputtering.’ Click to enlarge.
This infographic shows how Mars lost argon and other gasses over time due to ‘sputtering.’ Click to enlarge.
Credits: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
“This discovery is a significant step toward unraveling the mystery of Mars' past environments,“ said Elsayed Talaat, MAVEN Program Scientist, at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “In a broader context, this information teaches us about the processes that can change a planet’s habitability over time.”
There are many ways a planet can lose some of its atmosphere. For example, chemical reactions can lock gas away in surface rocks, or an atmosphere can be eroded by radiation and a stellar wind from a planet's parent star. The new result reveals that solar wind and radiation were responsible for most of the atmospheric loss on Mars, and the depletion was enough to transform the Martian climate. The solar wind is a thin stream of electrically conducting gas constantly blowing out from the surface of the sun.
The early Sun had far more intense ultraviolet radiation and solar wind, so atmospheric loss by these processes was likely much greater in Mars' history. According to the team, these processes may have been the dominant ones controlling the planet's climate and habitability. It's possible microbial life could have existed at the surface early in Mars’ history. As the planet cooled off and dried up, any life could have been driven underground or forced into rare surface oases.
Jakosky and his team got the new result by measuring the atmospheric abundance of two different isotopes of argon gas. Isotopes are atoms of the same element with different masses. Since the lighter of the two isotopes escapes to space more readily, it will leave the gas remaining behind enriched in the heavier isotope. The team used the relative abundance of the two isotopes measured in the upper atmosphere and at the surface to estimate the fraction of the atmospheric gas that has been lost to space.
As a "noble gas" argon cannot react chemically, so it cannot be sequestered in rocks; the only process that can remove noble gases into space is a physical process called "sputtering" by the solar wind. In sputtering, ions picked up by the solar wind can impact Mars at high speeds and physically knock atmospheric gas into space. The team tracked argon because it can be removed only by sputtering. Once they determined the amount of argon lost by sputtering, they could use this information to determine the sputtering loss of other atoms and molecules, including carbon dioxide (CO2).  
CO2 is of interest because it is the major constituent of Mars' atmosphere and because it's an efficient greenhouse gas that can retain heat and warm the planet. "We determined that the majority of the planet's CO2 was also lost to space by sputtering," said Jakosky. "There are other processes that can remove CO2, so this gives the minimum amount of CO2 that's been lost to space."
The team made its estimate using data from the Martian upper atmosphere, which was collected by MAVEN's Neutral Gas and Ion Mass Spectrometer (NGIMS). This analysis included measurements from the Martian surface made by NASA's Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) instrument on board the Curiosity rover.
"The combined measurements enable a better determination of how much Martian argon has been lost to space over billions of years," said Paul Mahaffy of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. "Using measurements from both platforms points to the value of having multiple missions that make complementary measurements." Mahaffy, a co-author of the paper, is principal investigator on the SAM instrument and lead on the NGIMS instrument, both of which were developed at NASA Goddard.
The research was funded by the MAVEN mission. MAVEN's principal investigator is based at the University of Colorado's Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, Boulder, and NASA Goddard manages the MAVEN project. MSL/Curiosity is managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California.







The race to destroy space garbage

Millions of pieces of human-made trash are now orbiting the Earth. Some are tiny, others are large enough to be seen with a telescope, but all pose a risk to space craft and satellites. And according to experts the threat is growing as space becomes more and more crowded. Some 23,000 pieces of sp...

http://flip.it/S8yG5t



Mega-constellation satellites will need 'rapid disposal'

The operators of proposed satellite mega-constellations can greatly mitigate the risk of future collisions by rapidly de-orbiting their spacecraft at the end of service. On the other hand, doing only the bare minimum required by international "clean space" guidelines could significantly endanger ...

http://flip.it/Y023wa






United CEO: nobody will be fired after man was violently dragged from plane

Oscar Munoz promised more details after review of policies on overbooked flights, and executives said it was too soon to know if incident hurt ticket sales The CEO of United Airlines says no one will be fired over the dragging of a man off a plane – including himself. The CEO, Oscar Munoz, said o...

http://flip.it/fz33M4



Robots to replace 1 in 3 UK jobs over next 20 years, warns IPPR

Study calls for billions to fund retraining after pinpointing hospitality, retail, transport and manufacturing sectors and poorest parts of UK as most at risk A leading thinktank has urged the government to spend billions of pounds helping poorly skilled workers in the less prosperous parts of th...

http://flip.it/Lkc6Nr





The reusable spaceplane launched inside a rocket

Since the Space Shuttle was retired, we have been lacking a multi-mission spacecraft. Could Europe's Space Rider be the answer? Spacecraft are expensive things. They can take decades to design, and test, and build. And then, apart from the modules that carry their crew back to terra firma, they a...

http://flip.it/wFRNGt





A look at China's most exciting hypersonic aerospace programs

The latest scramjets, near-space planes, and super wind tunnels. Hypersonic technology has the potential to revolutionize both military and civilian aerospace, so it's no surprise that China is showing off its program. At the 21st International Space Plane and Hypersonic Systems and Technology in...

http://flip.it/2ajRf5





H55, A SOLAR IMPULSE TECHNOLOGICAL SPIN OFF



Solar Impulse’s Co-Founder André Borschberg is now taking electric propulsion technology a step further. H55, which he co-founded, will develop and leverage the potential of electric propulsion in the world of aviation, making air transport cleaner, quieter, safer and more affordable.

H55 focuses on the entire propulsion chain starting from the energy source and its management, right through thrust and power, as well as pilot interface and all control systems. H55 ‘s electric demonstrator aircraft, aEro1, has successfully flown more than 50 hours with a battery endurance exceeding more than 1 hour.

New Photos Show The Rare Heavily Modified B-707 Operated By MIT as a Communications And Sensor Testbed For The U.S. Air Force



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New Photos Show The Rare Heavily Modified B-707 Operated By MIT as a Communications And Sensor Testbed For The U.S. Air Force // The Aviationist
https://theaviationist.com/2017/04/17/new-photos-show-the-rare-heavily-modified-b-707-operated-by-mit-as-a-communications-and-sensor-testbed-for-the-u-s-air-force/

Dubbed "Hannah", a heavily modified Boeing 707 is operated by MIT Lincoln Laboratory for the Air Force as a communications and sensor testbed used in the development of integrated networking and airborne sensing. Taken on Apr. 14, 2017 at Hanscom Air Force Base, Massachusetts, by photographer Rich Barnett, the images in this post show the pretty […]
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​ROTORCRAFT: Airbus Helicopters explores drone delivery in Singapore



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​ROTORCRAFT: Airbus Helicopters explores drone delivery in Singapore // Flight Global HEADLINES
http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/rotorcraft-airbus-helicopters-explores-drone-deliv-436320/

Airbus Helicopters has tapped Singapore post office SingPost as its partner to trial an unmanned aerial package delivery system in Singapore.
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US F-35A fighter jets arrive at Royal Air Force base in UK



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US F-35A fighter jets arrive at Royal Air Force base in UK // Air Force Technology News Press Releases
http://www.airforce-technology.com/news/newsus-f-35a-fighter-jets-arrive-at-royal-air-force-base-in-england-uk-5788303

The British Royal Air Force has received the combat-ready F-35A Lightning II multirole fighter aircraft at its base in Lakenheath, UK.
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USAF’s F-16 aircraft conducts test release of inert B61 nuclear bomb



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USAF's F-16 aircraft conducts test release of inert B61 nuclear bomb // Air Force Technology News Press Releases
http://www.airforce-technology.com/news/newsusafs-f-16-fighter-aircraft-conducts-flight-test-on-b61-nuclear-bomb-5788282

The US Air Force's (USAF) F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft has successfully conducted a test release of an inert B61 nuclear bomb over the Nellis Test and Training Range Complex, Nevada.
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'Drone Slayer' Case Dismissed By A Federal Judge



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'Drone Slayer' Case Dismissed By A Federal Judge // Aero-News Network
http://www.aero-news.net/index.cfm?do=main.textpost&id=7ae18a1a-2a54-4529-8d8c-40955265153d

Kentucky Gunslinger Will Not Be Required To Pay For Aircraft He Proudly Shot Down A Kentucky man who proudly acknowledges that he shot down a neighbor's drone in 2015 will not be required to pay for damages to the aircraft after the case was tossed out by a federal judge.
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S-97 Raider co-axial helicopter showcased in new video



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S-97 Raider co-axial helicopter showcased in new video // Gizmag Emerging Technology Magazine
http://newatlas.com/helicopter-s-97-raider-lockheed-video/49066/

Lockheed Martin has released a new video showing one of its two S-97 Raider prototype attack helicopters strutting its aerial stuff. Based on the remarkably fast X2 technology demonstrator with its co-axial rotor and push propeller design, the Raider is being developed by Lockheed subsidiary Sikorsky as part of an independent bid to provide the US armed forces with their next generation of combat rotorcraft.

.. Continue Reading S-97 Raider co-axial helicopter showcased in new video

Category: Aircraft

Tags: HelicoptersLockheed MartinSikorsky Related Articles: Lockheed Martin details Sikorsky-Boeing Future Vertical Lift concept Sikorsky CH-53K King Stallion does some more heavy lifting Sikorsky wins contract to replace Marine One presidential helicopters King Stallion helicopter aces first heavy load lift test US Marine Corps' CH-53K King Stallion prototype takes to the skies on maiden flight Sikorsky's X2 Demonstrator First Flight
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Scientists create negative-mass fluid that flows against the force



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Scientists create negative-mass fluid that flows against the force // Gizmag Emerging Technology Magazine
http://newatlas.com/negative-mass-fluid/49040/

If you push an ordinary ball, it moves away from your hand. No surprise there. But if you pushed a ball with negative mass, it would actually accelerate backwards, moving towards you instead. It might be hard to picture how this could be possible, but according to Newtonian physics it should work in theory. Now, a team at Washington State University has demonstrated the phenomenon in practice, creating a fluid that has the properties of negative mass.

.. Continue Reading Scientists create negative-mass fluid that flows against the force

Category: Physics

Tags: Bose-Einstein condensateFluidPhysicsQuantum MechanicsWashington State University Related Articles: Theoretical "supersolid" state of matter created in two separate studies Liquid light switch bridges the gap between light and electricity NASA's Cold Atom Lab to make the ISS the coldest spot in the Universe Galileo satellites to test Einstein's General Theory of Relativity ESA's LISA Pathfinder experiment launches to explore Einstein's General Theory of Relativity A long way from everything: The search for a Grand Unified Theory
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Drone delivery to start on NUS campus by early next year - THE BUSINESS TIMES


THE BUSINESS TIMES

Drone delivery to start on NUS campus by early next year
THE BUSINESS TIMES
The project, named "Skyways", comes to fruition almost two years after the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore and Airbus Helicopters, a unit of Airbus, signed up to develop a safe and economically viable aerial unmanned delivery system for parcels ...
Drone deliveries to take off at NUSThe Straits Times


http://www.businesstimes.com.sg/technology/drone-delivery-to-start-on-nus-campus-by-early-next-year

Solar Impulse Co-founder Launches Electric Propulsion Venture

Andre Borschberg, co-founder of Solar Impulse, has launched a new venture to develop certified electric propulsion systems for air transport.

read more


http://aviationweek.com/awinbizav/solar-impulse-co-founder-launches-electric-propulsion-venture

German Energy Company To Test UAV-Based Electric Turbine - Aviation Week



German Energy Company To Test UAV-Based Electric Turbine
Aviation Week
LONDON—Germany's E.ON electricity company is partnering with Dutch renewable energy start-up Ampyx Power to demonstrate the potential of airborne wind energy systems (AWES). AWES is a potential alternative to wind turbines. The technology ...

y más »


http://aviationweek.com/awincommercial/german-energy-company-test-uav-based-electric-turbine

lunes, 17 de abril de 2017

New Photos And Video of Iran’s Homemade F-313 “Qaher” Stealth Jet Have Just Emerged. And Here’s A First Analysis



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New Photos And Video of Iran's Homemade F-313 "Qaher" Stealth Jet Have Just Emerged. And Here's A First Analysis // The Aviationist
https://theaviationist.com/2017/04/15/new-photos-and-video-of-irans-homemade-f-313-qaher-stealth-jet-have-just-emerged-and-heres-a-first-analysis/

A new prototype of the weird Qaher 313 stealth jet has conducted taxi tests. Footage and photographs showing a new prototype (marked "08") of the famous Qaher F-313 stealth fighter jet have just emerged as Iran's President Hassan Rouhani participated Saturday in an exhibition displaying the achievements that the Defense Ministry Brigadier General Hossein Dehqan gained […]
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TsAGI represented the innovation cluster of aviation technologies



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TsAGI represented the innovation cluster of aviation technologies // News TsAGI
http://tsagi.ru/en/pressroom/news/3001/

In March, the expert of the Central AeroHydrodynamic Institute named after professor N. E. Zhukovsky (TsAGI, a part of the Scientific Research Center "Institute named after professor N.E.Zhukovsky") represented the innovation cluster of aviation technologies in the city of Zhukovsky, which is part of the Moscow Region Innovation Clusters Consortium. The presentation took place in MIPT.


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The First TsAGI-NASA Seminar on Aviation Safety



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The First TsAGI-NASA Seminar on Aviation Safety // News TsAGI
http://tsagi.ru/en/pressroom/news/3007/

The Central AeroHydrodynamic Institute named after Prof. N.E. Zhukovsky (TsAGI, a member of the National Research Center "Institute named after N.E. Zhukovsky") and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) held a seminar on aviation safety in Moscow, Russia, from April 6 to 7, 2017.


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TsAGI to develop advanced low-noise aircraft



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TsAGI to develop advanced low-noise aircraft // News TsAGI
http://tsagi.ru/en/pressroom/news/3011/


Last April, scientists of the Central AeroHydrodynamic Institute named after professor N.E. Zhukovsky (TsAGI, part of the Scientific Research Center "Institute named after professor N.E. Zhukovsky") completed the second stage of research for an advanced concept low-noise, short-haul aircraft.




Russian aerospace centre tests overwing-engine design



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Russian aerospace centre tests overwing-engine design // Flight Global HEADLINES
http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/russian-aerospace-centre-tests-overwing-engine-desig-436259/

Russian analysts have conducted windtunnel tests on an overwing-engine aircraft design which is intended to reduce noise.
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AeroMobil to launch a production flying car next week

Slovakian flying car company AeroMobil is ready for liftoff, with the announcement that it's going to launch a production-ready, road-registrable aircraft in a week's time. The new flying car, which will debut at Top Marques in Monaco on April 20, will be available for pre-order this year.

.. Continue Reading AeroMobil to launch a production flying car next week