Missile defense multiple kill vehicle hover test theworacle 2008-12-08 | US Missile Defense Agency video of the 2 December 2008 free-flight hover test of Lockheed Martin's Multiple Kill Vehicle (MKV-L). The MKV is designed to allow a single interceptor to destroy a ballistic missile equipped with multiple warheads or countermeasures. In Lockheed's design, a seeker-equipped carrier vehicle maneuvers into the path of the ballistic missile then dispenses and guides small kill vehicles to their targets. In its first test, the MKV-L hovered for 20 seconds in a special facility at Edwards AFB, California, while recognizing and tracking a simulated target.
Rawfeed additive manufacturing of titanium structures theworacle 2014-11-07 | Cranfield University video of the Rawfeed rolling assisted wire-and-arc additive manufacturing process for producing titanium critical structural components for aerospace applications. Wire-fed welding torch lays down bead of titanium, which is then cold-rolled to refine the grain structure and improve the mechanical propertes of the material. Airbus Group leads the Rawfeed project with Cranfield, Delcom and the University of Bath.
AVX Aircraft Coaxial Compound Helicopter for US Army JMR/FVL theworacle 2014-05-05 | AVX Aircraft video detailing the configuration and benefits of its Coaxial Compound Helicopter concept, proposed for the US Army's Joint Multi Role (JMR) technology demonstration in 2017 and follow-on Future Vertical Lift (FVL) Medium advanced rotorcraft to replace the UH-60 Black Hawk from the mid-2030s.
Sikorsky Autonomous Research Aircraft (SARA) in flight theworacle 2014-04-17 | Sikorsky video of its Sikorsky Autonomous Research Aircraft (SARA) flying following the installation of multi-spectral perception system. SARA is an S-76 modified as a testbed for Sikorsky's Matrix Technology program to develop FAA-certifiable autonomy systems for vertical take-off and landing aircraft
ONR AACUS - Lockheed Martin flight demo theworacle 2014-04-17 | US Office of Naval Research video of Lockheed Martin's February flight demonstration under the Autonomous Aerial Cargo/Utility System (AACUS) program. The helicopter is a Kaman K-Max.
ONR AACUS - Aurora Flight Sciences flight demo theworacle 2014-04-17 | US Office of Naval Research video showing Aurora Flight Sciences' February 2014 flight demonstration under the Autonomous Aerial Cargo/Utility System (AACUS) research program. The helicopter is a Boeing H-6U Unmanned Little Bird (ULB)
Urban AirMule VTOL UAV untethered flight tests theworacle 2013-12-19 | Video from Israel's Urban Aeronautics of its 10 Dec 2013 untethered, automated flight tests of the AirMule vertical take-off and landing unamnned aircraft. The aircraft has fore and aft ducted rotors from VTOL and ducted fans for propulsion. Urban is developing the AirMule for resupply, medevac and rescue missions in confined spaces, like city streets.
Aurora Flight Sciences Orion UAV first flight theworacle 2013-09-17 | Aurora Flight Sciences video of the August 24, 2013, first flight of its Orion medium-altitude, long-endurance unmanned aircraft demonstrator. Powered by two Austro Engine turbo-diesels, Orion is designed to fly for 120 hours at 20,000ft carrying a 1,000lb payload - five times the endurance of current Predator-class MALE UAVs.
AFRL/NASA Lockheed Martin X-56A flutter control testbed theworacle 2013-08-02 | Lockheed Martin Skunk Works video explaining the background to and mission of the X-56A experimental unmanned aircraft, which flew for the first time on July 26 at NASA Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards AFB, California. The X-56A will test active flutter control and gust-load alleviation technology that will allow slender, flexible wings for low drag and long endurance.
EADS/Aero Composites Saintonge e-Fan electric aircraft theworacle 2013-06-24 | EADS Innovation Works video of the e-Fan electric aircraft built with France's Aero Composites Saintonge. E-Fan has batteries in the wing providing 50kW of power to two electric ducted fans and a motor driving the mainwheel, which is used for taxiing and to help acceleration on takeoff.
EADS unmanned Arctic hybrid airship theworacle 2013-06-24 | EADS Innovation Works video animation of its concept for an un manned airship to provide pesistent surevillance of the Arctic. The airship is a catamaran, with rigid hulls using helium to provide buoyancy and joined by wings to provide aerodynamic lift. Bouyancy is controlled passively the retracting sections of the lower hull to vary the helium volume. The 90m-long airship would fly for 40 days at 23,000ft, loitering at 60km/h but with a dash speed of 150km/h.
EADS/Rolls-Royce distributed electric propulsion concept theworacle 2013-06-24 | EADS Innovation Works video animation of a distributed electric propulsion concept for airliners in which a single turbofan generates electricity to power multiple ducted fans. The aircraft takes off on turbofan and battery power. In the cruise, the engine drives the fans and recharges the batteries. On descent, aircraft glides and the ducted fans windmill, generating regenerative power to top up the batteries for landing. The concept is being studied with engine manufacturer Rolls-Royce
Airbus Fly Your Ideas 2013 contest - finalists theworacle 2013-06-11 | Airbus video animation of the finalists concepts in Airbus's Fly Your Ideas student challenge, to be awarded on June 14. The five finalists in the order featured in the video are:Team Levar, University of São Paulo, Brazil, for a luggage loading and unloading system for airplane cargo compartments to reduce the workload of airport baggage handlers with an air cushion solution inspired by air hockey tables. Team CLiMA, Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, Australia for the development of aircraft fuelled by a blend of sustainably produced liquefied biomethane and liquefied natural gas (Bio-LNG). Team AVAS, SRM University, India for reduced propulsion noise thanks to jet exhaust shape modification using shape memory alloys. These alloys are energized by harvested electricity generated by advanced thermoelectric materials using engine heat. Team Flybrid, Technical University of Milan, Italy for an electric/turboprop combination for hybrid propulsion in regional aircraft. This system uses batteries pre-charged on ground and not in-flight. Team Embarker, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Malaysia for a self-sustaining aircraft cabin concept in which the excess body heat from seated passengers is used as an alternative source of energy to power small electronics in the cabin.
EPFL Clip-Air train-to-plane modular aircraft concept theworacle 2013-06-11 | EPFL (Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne) Clip-Air project - an aircraft consisting of a single flying wing on to which capsules carrying passengers or freight can be attached. Each autonomous capsule is the size of a railroad car - about 30 meters long and weighing 30 tons heavy - and is compatible with rail tracks.
US Navy X-47B UCAS first carrier launch theworacle 2013-05-14 | US Navy video of the May 14, 2013, first launch of an unmanned combat aircraft from an aircraft carrier. The Northrop Grumman X-47 unmanned combat air systems demonstrator (UCAS-D) was catapulted from the USS Bush off the coast of Virginia.
Terrafugia TF-X - hybrid-electric stop/fold tiltprop VTOL flying car theworacle 2013-05-06 | Terrafugia animation of its TF-X concept for a four-seat, hybrid-electric vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) flying car, now in feasibility study. The wing would unfold, 600hp electric motors and battery packs on each wingtip powering the propellers. The prop blades would unfold and nacelles tilt upwards for vertical take-off. The nacelles would then tilt down for forward flight and a 300hp engine driving a ducted prop at the rear would take over propulsion and recharge the batteries. The prop blades would fold back, allowing the vehicle to reach 200mph and fly for 500 miles. Vanes in the prop duct would provide flight control. For landing the electric motors would restart, the props unfold and nacelles tilt upwards, Vertical take-off and landing would be automated to simpify flying.
Advanced manufacturing - linear friction welding theworacle 2013-05-03 | Aviation Week slideshow illustrating how using linear friction welding (LFW) to produce near net-shape preforms, or tailored blanks, can cut the material waste and machining time when making complex aircraft parts from expensive aerospace alloys. LFW is used to join simple shapes, precut by waterjet, to approximate the final shape of the part.
Scramjet Success - AFRL/Boeing X-51A flies at Mach 5.1 theworacle 2013-05-03 | The US Air Force Research Laboratory's Boeing X-51A WaveRider unmanned vehicle achieved the longest air-breathing hypersonic, scramjet-powered flight on its May 1 fourth test flight, flying for 3.5 minutes on supersonic-combustion ramjet power and reaching a maximum speed of Mach 5.1.
Advanced manufacturing - mobile robotic drilling theworacle 2013-05-03 | Developed for joining fuselage panels on the Airbuis A380, the flexible drilling head is a robot that moves itself over the aircraft skin on the final assembly line.Video: MTorres
Advanced manufacturing - surface milling theworacle 2013-05-03 | Surface milling is used to remove excess material from sheet-metal skin panels to reduce weight and replaces chemical milling, in which the material is etched away. Machining is faster and cheaper and eliminates the hazardous chemicals.Video: MTorres. Music: Nelson Friere, Chopin's Etude op. 25 No 1 in A flat major
Advanced manufacturing - automated fiber placement theworacle 2013-05-03 | An automated fiber placement machine places carbon-fiber tows - narrow bands of continuous fiber - on a tool, layer by layer in different directions, to lay up a laminated skin panel.Video: MTorres
US Navy laser weapon shoots down UAV at sea theworacle 2013-04-09 | Edited US Office of Naval Research video of the Laser Weapon System (LaWS), on the destroyer USS Dewey, shooting down a target drone representing a threat UAV off San Diego in August 2012. Developed by the Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren, the prototype LaWS is based on a high-power industrial fiber laser and is designed to defend ships against UAVs and fast-attack craft. An operational demonstration is planned for early 2014 in the Gulf of Arabia, on the amphibious transport dock USS Ponce.
Second Flight for Boeing Phantom Eye Hydrogen-Powered UAV theworacle 2013-02-27 | Boeing video of the Feb 25, 2013, second flight of its private-venture Phantom Eye hydrogen-fuelled high-altitude, long-endurance unmanned aircraft. The first flight in June2012 ended in damage to aircraft after the skid main gear dug into the lakebed at Edwards AFB, Califonia. The gear was redesigned. An aerodynamic fairing was added to the take-off trolley to reduce drag and increase acceleration on take-off. The aircraft reached 8,000ft and 62kt on its 66-min second flight. The goal is to reach 65,000ft.
NASA hybrid wing-body noise simulation theworacle 2013-01-11 | NASA "auralization" - physics-based acoustic simulation - to show theairport noise reduction possible with a hybrid (or blended) wing-bodyconfiguration. First youn hear the noise generated by a777/GE90-class "tube-and-wing" airliner, then that created by an HWBaircraft in which the engines are shielded by the airframe
Aeroscraft rigid variable-buoyancy airship on the move theworacle 2013-01-04 | Aeros video showing its prototype Aeroscraft rigid-aeroshell variable-buoyancy airship during a ground-handling test in the airship hangar at Tustin, Calif. The 230ft-long airship can control its buoyancy by pumping helium between lifting-gas cells and pressurized tanks inside the aeroshell. Compressing the helium makes the vehicle heavier than air for landing, ground handling and unloading; releasing it makes it neutrally buoyant for vertical take-off and cruise. In this test, the Aeroscraft is moving on its air-bearing landing gear without personnel normally required to handle an airship on the ground.
US Navy X-47B UCAS-D deck trials on USS Truman theworacle 2012-12-11 | Edited US Navy video from the first deck trials of the Northrop Grumman X-47B unmanned combat air system demonstrator (UCAS-D), on the aircraft carrier USS Truman on Dec 9, 2012. The second X-47B air vehicle, AV-2, is maneuvered around the deck using the wireless hand controller, or Control Display Unit (CDU) on the operator's forearm. The UCAS-D operator stands behind the flick-deck director and follows the same hand signals used when controlling a manned aircraft on a carrier deck. The X-47B will take-off and land from a carrier at sea in 2013.
US Navy X-47B UCAS first land-based catapult launch theworacle 2012-11-29 | US Navy video of the first catapult launch of the Northrop Grumman X-47B unmanned combat aircraft system demonstrator (UCAS-D) on Nov 29, during shore-based aircraft-carrier integration testing at NAS Patuxent River, Maryland. The X-47B is to take-off and land on a carrier at sea in 2013.
X-47B UCAS wireless ground handling demo theworacle 2012-11-15 | US Navy video of the Northrop Grumman X-47B unmanned combat air system demonstrator being maneuvered on the ground at NAS Patuxent River, Md, using a wireless hand controller attached to the operator's wrist. This land-based test simulates moving the unmanned aircraft on a carrier deck. The controller has a hand tiller and other controls to wirelessly control the vehicle's engine thrust, mainwheel braking and nosewheel steering, and to exercise the flight-control surfaces and raise and lower the tailhook. The X-47B is planned to operate from a US Navy aircraft carrier in 2013.
US Air Force develops third stream adaptive fighter engine theworacle 2012-11-02 | Edited US Air Force Research Laboratory video explaining its program to develop a new type of turbofan engine that changes cycle to combine high thrust for take-off and supersonic acceleration with fuel economy for cruise and subsonic loiter. General Electric and Rolls-Royce Liberty Works will ground-test ADVENT demonstrator engines in 2013, GE and Pratt & Whitney will do follow-on groiund demonstrations in 2016 under the AETD program. The engines designed under AETD could power the F-35 JSF after 2020 and any 2030-timeframe sixth-generation fighter the US may develop.
Canadian Space Agency Moon and Mars rover prototypes theworacle 2012-10-21 | The Canadian Space Agency is test several terrestrial prototypes of future Moon and Mars rovers.
Boeings Unmanned Little Bird lands on ship theworacle 2012-08-16 | Boeing video of its Unmanned Little Bird demonstrator making autonomouslandings and take-offs on an oil-rig tender off Ft Lauderdale, Florida.There are pilots on board, but there are not touching the controls asthe helicopter lands and takes off under the command of a groundstation on the ship's bridge.
Eurocopter X3 and Airbus A400M in flight theworacle 2012-07-24 | Edited Eurocopter video of the X3 hgih-speed helicopter technology demonstrator in flight with the Airnus Military A400M airlifter.
NASA flexible wing concepts theworacle 2012-04-27 | NASA video animation showing how its concept of a lightweight, low-drag flexible wing could evolve over time as technology matures. Using tailored structures and active controls to alleviate gust loads and suppress flutter, a flexible high-aspect-ratio wing would be significanly lighter than today's stiff aircraft wings. The wing's shape would also be actively controlled to minimize drag in the cruise and maximize lift for take-off and landing. NASA plans to begin to developing the technology using Lockheed Martin's unmanned X-56A active flutter-suppression testbed.
Boeing Unmanned Little Bird landing on moving trailer theworacle 2011-11-19 | Edited Boeing video showing its Unmanned Little Bird helicopter landing autonomously on a trailer moving along a runway at speeds up to 15 knots. The test was part of a program with France's Thales and DCNS to demonstrate technology for unmanned VTOL deck landings and take-offs on moving ships. (There is a safety pilot on board, but the helicopter is flying itself).
Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey tilt-rotor 360-deg roll theworacle 2011-11-18 | US Naval Air Systems Command flight-test video showing the US MArine Corps' Bell Boeing MV-22 Osprey tilt-rotor transport conducting a complete 360-deg roll.
Bell AH-1Z Viper full autorotations theworacle 2011-11-18 | Edited US Naval Air Systems Command video of full autorotation landings performed during flight testing of the US Marine Corps' upgraded Bell AH-1Z Viper attack helicopter. The AH-1Z has a new four-blade rotor. Autorotation uses energy stored in the rotor to allow a helicopter to land safety after losing power. As the aircraft descends, air flowing up through the rotor keeps the blades turning so that the pilot, just before landing, can pull on the collective lever to increase blade pitch and rotor lift, using that stored energy to slow the descent and touch down safely.
Oliver Aircraft Hexplane VTOL concept theworacle 2011-10-17 | Video animation produced for Atlanta, Ga-based Oliver Aircraft showing its Hexplane concept for a six-engined vertical take-off and landing aircraft. Check out the blog at Aviation Week - http://tinyurl.com/636wy9m. The design can lose any one of its engines at any time and still complete its mission, even at maximum weight. Because it uses propellers and not rotors like a helicopter, or proprrotors like a tiltrotor, Oliver says the Hexplane is almost as fast and efficient as a turboprop aircraft. Oliver is working to raise funding to build a demonstrator that would use the fuselage of a Piaggio P.180 Avanti business aircraft.
Aerovel Flexrotor VTOL UAV transition flight tests theworacle 2011-10-01 | Aerovel video showing its prototype Flexrotor unmanned aircraft transitioning from vertical to horizontal and then horizontal to vertical flight. Flexrotor its a small VTOL long-endurance UAV. The prototype is called Pandora.
Hawker Beechcraft AT-6 light attack aircraft - unprepared airstrip theworacle 2011-09-22 | Hawker Beechcraft video showing the prototype AT-6 light-attack version of the T-6 Texan turboprop trainer operating from an unprepared airstrip during the fly-off evaluation against the Embraer EMB-314 Super Tucano for the US Air Force's :Light Air Support requirement for an aircraft to equip the Afghan air force.
Kongsberg NSM anti-ship missile test theworacle 2011-09-22 | Video by Norway's Kongsberg of a flight test of its Naval Strike Missile (NSM), basis of teh Joint Strike Missile under development for the F-35 JSF. Here the fire-and-forget missile is launched from land at the Pt Mugu, Calif., test range and is filmed by a chase aircraft as sea-slims a few feet above the Pacific, flying over an island to acquire and attack a target ship on the otther side. Kongsberg says this mission profile gave the NSM's imaging-infrared seeker just 1.5 seconds to acquire and identify the ship as its pre-programmed target.
Unmanned K-Max completes pre-Afghanistan assessment theworacle 2011-09-06 | The Lockheed Martin/Kaman K-Max unmanned cargo helicopter has completed a five-day quick-reaction assessment by the US Navy to determine its suitability for deployment to Afghanistan to resupply remote Marine Corps forward operating bases. The QRA was designed to assess the K-Max's ability to provide sustained resupply over several days, with Lockheed saying the two aircraft used exceeded the target of moving 30,000lb of supplies.
Boeings re-engined 737 MAX theworacle 2011-08-30 | Boeing video of the 737 MAX, re-engined with more fuel-efficient CFM International LEAP-1B turbofans, Deliveries are to begin in 2017 and the 737 MAX will compete against the re-engined Airbus A320 NEO, which is scheduled to enter service late in 2015. The new family, based on the 737-700, -800 and -900, will be designated the 737 MAX 7, MAX 8 and MAX 9.
DARPA HTV-2 speed comparison theworacle 2011-08-24 | DARPA animation intended to convey the difference in speed between a subsonic C-5 Galaxy, supersonic F/-18 Hornet and its hyperosnic HTV-2, flying at Mach 20.
DARPA HTV-2 flight caught on video theworacle 2011-08-24 | DARPA's August 11, 2011, second flight of the HTV-2 hypersonic glider - which ended prematurely after only 9min of a planned 30min flight across the Pacific - was captured on handheld video camera by a crewmember of one of the ships tracking the vehicle's telemetry as it re-entered the Earth's atmosphere at 20 times the speed of sound. DARPA does not yet know while the flight ended prematurely. The first HTV-2 flight, on April 22, 2010, also ended after just 9 min.
Raytheon STM small UAV weapon flight tests theworacle 2011-08-18 | Raytheon video of flight tests of a prototype of its Small Tactical Munition (STM), a 25-lb. laser/GPS-guided unpowered weapon designed to arm small unmanned aircraft, principally the AAI RQ-7 Shadow tactical UAV. For the tests, the STM was dropped from Raytheon's Cobra testbed UAV. The company vying for the contract to arm US Marine Corps Shadows, whcih are planned to be fielded with weapons within two years.
DARPA Shadow UAV damage-tolerant flight control test theworacle 2011-08-17 | Video of the October 2010 test flight of an AAI RQ-7B Shadow unmanned aircraft equipped with Rockwell Collins damage-tolerant flight control system. Under the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency Damage Tolerance progra, 20 inches of the Shadow's wing was blown off in flight. The autonomous control system automatically recovered the aircraft to controlled flight, adjusted the autopilot gains to compensate for the loss of an aileron, and landed the UAV safely.
Aerovel Flexrotor UAV first transition - August 2011 theworacle 2011-08-15 | Aerovel has released this video of the Aug 11, 2011, transition between vertical and horizontal flight by its Flexrotor vertical take-off and landing small unmanned aircraft. The flight included a hover and vertical recovery. Flexrotor has been designed by the same people who developed the Insitu ScanEagle long-endurance small UAV and is designed for fully automatic vertcial take-off and recovery and an edurance of more than 36 hours. Launch and retrieval is from a portable fold-out rig with widely spaced parallel bars to support the wings.
IAI Ghost vertical take-off and landing mini-UAV theworacle 2011-08-09 | Israel Aerospace Industrries video on its new Ghost tandem-rotor, electrcially powered VTOL unmanned aircraft, designed for surveillance missions in urban areas. The 1.45m-long Ghost weighs 4kg and can fly for up to 30 minutes on battery power, at speeds up to 30kt. Electric power propvidesd quiet operation, and the Ghost is aimed at special-operations missions. The UAV is making its public debut at the AUVSI show in Washington DC on Aug 16-19, 2011.
FIrst Euro Hawk Lands in Germany theworacle 2011-07-26 | EADS video of the arrival of the first Eur Hawk unmanned aircraft at Manching, Germnay, on July 21, 2011, after an almost 23hr non-stop flight from Edwards AFB, California. The Euro Hawk is a version of the Northrop Grumman RQ-4B Block 20 Global Hawk high-altitude, long-endurance UAV that will be equipped with an EADS signals intelligence system and used to replace German air force Atlantic ELINT aircraft.
Carplane roadable aircraft concept theworacle 2011-07-26 | Braunschweig, Germany-based Carplane (www.carplane.com) is developing a twin-fuselage roadable aircraft. The Carplane has a wing extension and stowage system that avoids the need to exit the vehicle and remove or replace the wings manually to change between fly and drive modes. For road use, electric hub motors on the rear wheels provide power. A 100kW piston engine drives a propeller for flight, but can also be used hybrid-style to recharge the batteries and extend range in drive mode. Development of the Carplane is planned to be coimpleted in 2015.
