Bruselas estudia llevar el conflicto entre EADS y EE UU por los aviones cisterna a la OMC
http://www.elpais.com/articulo/economia/Bruselas/estudia/llevar/conflicto/EADS/EE/UU/aviones/cisterna/OMC/elpepueco/20100310elpepueco_9/Tes
París: el cambio en la oferta de los aviones cisterna del Pentágono es grave
ttp://www.abc.es/agencias/noticia.asp?noticia=303990
miércoles, 10 de marzo de 2010
UAV Navigation presenta el AP040EM2, el AD-INS más pequeño y ligero del mundo
UAV Navigation, compañía especializada en el diseño de sistemas de control de vuelo para aeronaves tripuladas y no tripuladas, presentó en UNVEX'10 el AP040EM2, una solución perfecta para los diseñadores de sistemas que necesiten integrar en sus equipos aviónica miniaturizada.
Aerobatic Racing – The Next Generation of Air Shows
"Two pilots, flying side-by-side about 500 feet apart, race through a series of 8 to 10 aerobatic maneuvers. Rule infractions or incomplete maneuvers result in penalties added to the pilot's overall clocked time. The pilot that completes the aerobatic sequence in the least amount of time wins the race!
Presently, there are two categories of race planes excepted: high-performance aerobatic aircraft (including the Pitts S-2B/C, the Edge-540, the Extra-300/300, the Staudacher S-300, etc.) and warbirds (including the T-28, the T-6/SNJ, or Harvard.) Both similar and dissimilar aircraft compete against one another so pilots must strategically harness each aircraft's unique handling advantages to win."
For full information
Dos pilotos, dos pistas separadas 500ft, una carrera en la que hay que realizar de 8 a 10 maniobras acrobáticas, las maniobras mal hechas o incompletas penalizan... y el piloto que menos tiempo tarde en hacer todas las maniobras gana.
Se admite que compitan dos tipos de aeronaves: acrobáticas de altas prestaciones (Pitts S2 b/c, Edge 540, Extra 300/330 etc) y "Wardbirds" (T-28Trojan, T6 Texan...). Y no compiten por separado... ambas categorías se pueden enfrentar en la misma carrera, con cada piloto exprimiendo de la máquina sus ventajas sobre las otras para ganar la carrera.
AeroNews
y un poco más abajo, el vídeo...
Army approaches million unmanned flying hours
WASHINGTON (Army News Service, March 5, 2010) -- The Army is fast approaching one million hours of unmanned aviation flight with its unmanned aerial systems.
"Right now it looks like we'll hit probably 1 million total hours sometime next month," said Col. Christopher Carlile, director, U.S. Army Unmanned Aircraft Systems Center of Excellence. "But it'll take us to around September or October before we'll hit one million hours in support of combat operations."
The colonel said about 90 percent of the Army's unmanned flying hours are in support of combat. The Army aviation community will recognize the milestone in late May with displays at the Pentagon and the Smithsonian Museum in Washington.
Speaking to an audience of Soldiers and defense-industry professionals last week during the 2010 Association of the United States Army's Institute of Land Warfare Winter Symposium and Exposition in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Carlile said the Army is prepared for growth in use of unmanned aerial systems and for broadening their mission sets.
"Today we are probably 99 percent-plus for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance roles for UAS," he said. "Though in the future, there will be new roles."
The colonel said those new roles could include communications relays, sustainment and cargo, for instance.
Training is ramping up for more UAS support as well. Out at Fort Huachuca, Ariz., the Army runs a joint training installation for UAS operators and maintainers. There, they train Soldiers, Sailors and Marines. Carlile said the Army is expected to see an increase in Soldiers that need to be trained at the facility.
"Today we will train, in Fiscal Year 2010, about 800," he said. "By 2018, our requirement is over 3,000 operators."
Unlike other services, the Army finds placing enlisted servicemembers at the controls of a UAS to be most effective, and Carlile said that is not likely to change.
"Army enlisted UAS operators are fully capable and well trained to do anything you give them to do, and it'll shock you when you hear how many hours of operation they have," he said.
Carlile said the Army puts aircraft like the RQ-7 Shadow and the Raven in the lowest units, keeping their ISR capability close to the commanders who will need it.
"One of the greatest things we did was place the Shadow platoon in the brigade combat team in the early days," he said. "It allowed our infantry and our armor officers to realize the potential and know they owned it and know they were going to get it when they asked for it."
Aviation is a complex business, prone to mishap, Carlile said, and the Army has found ways to minimize that by allowing technology in the UAS to do "what it does best."
"What we found is that when the Army adapted that methodology to go toward an automated method to let the equipment do what it does best -- let it come up with automated take off and landing strategy -- what we have seen, it would shock you."
The colonel said that human error accidents and incidents are now nearing the single- digit mark now.
Despite successes of UAS in Iraq and Afghanistan, late in 2009 it was reported in the press that the Defense Department had confirmed that insurgents could intercept unencrypted video feeds from UAS.
On Capitol Hill, Secretary of the Army John McHugh was queried about UAS security by Senator Richard Shelby of Alabama. McHugh said he felt confident about the current status of Army systems.
"The Army greatly values, and commanders feel very strongly, about the Army's need to have these capabilities particularly at a strategic level," the secretary said. "All the services recognized that potential vulnerability early on and have reacted aggressively to it, and we feel comfortable with the systems in place."
"Right now it looks like we'll hit probably 1 million total hours sometime next month," said Col. Christopher Carlile, director, U.S. Army Unmanned Aircraft Systems Center of Excellence. "But it'll take us to around September or October before we'll hit one million hours in support of combat operations."
The colonel said about 90 percent of the Army's unmanned flying hours are in support of combat. The Army aviation community will recognize the milestone in late May with displays at the Pentagon and the Smithsonian Museum in Washington.
Speaking to an audience of Soldiers and defense-industry professionals last week during the 2010 Association of the United States Army's Institute of Land Warfare Winter Symposium and Exposition in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Carlile said the Army is prepared for growth in use of unmanned aerial systems and for broadening their mission sets.
"Today we are probably 99 percent-plus for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance roles for UAS," he said. "Though in the future, there will be new roles."
The colonel said those new roles could include communications relays, sustainment and cargo, for instance.
Training is ramping up for more UAS support as well. Out at Fort Huachuca, Ariz., the Army runs a joint training installation for UAS operators and maintainers. There, they train Soldiers, Sailors and Marines. Carlile said the Army is expected to see an increase in Soldiers that need to be trained at the facility.
"Today we will train, in Fiscal Year 2010, about 800," he said. "By 2018, our requirement is over 3,000 operators."
Unlike other services, the Army finds placing enlisted servicemembers at the controls of a UAS to be most effective, and Carlile said that is not likely to change.
"Army enlisted UAS operators are fully capable and well trained to do anything you give them to do, and it'll shock you when you hear how many hours of operation they have," he said.
Carlile said the Army puts aircraft like the RQ-7 Shadow and the Raven in the lowest units, keeping their ISR capability close to the commanders who will need it.
"One of the greatest things we did was place the Shadow platoon in the brigade combat team in the early days," he said. "It allowed our infantry and our armor officers to realize the potential and know they owned it and know they were going to get it when they asked for it."
Aviation is a complex business, prone to mishap, Carlile said, and the Army has found ways to minimize that by allowing technology in the UAS to do "what it does best."
"What we found is that when the Army adapted that methodology to go toward an automated method to let the equipment do what it does best -- let it come up with automated take off and landing strategy -- what we have seen, it would shock you."
The colonel said that human error accidents and incidents are now nearing the single- digit mark now.
Despite successes of UAS in Iraq and Afghanistan, late in 2009 it was reported in the press that the Defense Department had confirmed that insurgents could intercept unencrypted video feeds from UAS.
On Capitol Hill, Secretary of the Army John McHugh was queried about UAS security by Senator Richard Shelby of Alabama. McHugh said he felt confident about the current status of Army systems.
"The Army greatly values, and commanders feel very strongly, about the Army's need to have these capabilities particularly at a strategic level," the secretary said. "All the services recognized that potential vulnerability early on and have reacted aggressively to it, and we feel comfortable with the systems in place."
Boeing Receives Phase 1 of Contract for US Air Force QF-16 Drone
ST. LOUIS, March 9, 2010 -- Boeing [NYSE: BA] has been awarded a U.S. Air Force contract worth approximately $69.7 million for the initial engineering, manufacturing and development of QF-16 Full Scale Aerial Targets to replace the QF-4 fleet. Under the terms of the remainder of the contract, expected to be awarded in coming years, up to 126 QF-16 drones will deliver beginning in 2014.
Boeing engineers and support personnel will convert retired F-16 aircraft into QF-16s for use as aerial targets for newly developed weapons and tactics. The drones, which will be equipped to evaluate how U.S. fighters and weapons will operate against potential adversaries, will be flown within a controlled range and used for testing. They will be able to fly either manned or unmanned.
QF-16 design and development will take place in St. Louis. Ground and flight testing and production will be completed at the Boeing facility in Cecil Field, Fla., near Jacksonville.
"We are honored and prepared to provide the U.S. Air Force, the 691st Armament Systems Squadron, and the QF-16 Program with next-generation, full-scale aerial targets through a low-risk, affordable, technically superior solution," said Steve Waltman, director of Boeing Aircraft Sustainment & Maintenance.
The Boeing-led QF-16 team, which includes BAE Systems in Johnson City, N.Y., meets all requirements presented in the QF-16 design, development and production contract. Collectively, the Boeing team has 33 years of experience with drone systems.
Boeing 'Phantom Eye' Hydrogen Powered Vehicle Takes Shape
ST. LOUIS, March 8, 2010 -- The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] has begun to build Phantom Eye -- its first unmanned, liquid-hydrogen powered, high altitude long endurance (HALE) demonstrator aircraft.
"The essence of Phantom Eye is its propulsion system," said Darryl Davis, Boeing Phantom Works president. "After five years of technology development, we are now deploying rapid prototyping to bring together an unmanned aerial vehicle [UAV] with a breakthrough liquid-hydrogen propulsion system that will be ready to fly early next year."
Phantom Eye's entire propulsion system -- including the engine, turbo chargers and engine control system -- successfully completed an 80-hour test in an altitude chamber on March 1, clearing the way for the propulsion system and UAV to be assembled.
The twin-engine Phantom Eye demonstrator will have a 150-foot wingspan and be capable of flying for more than four days at altitudes up to 65,000 feet while carrying a payload of up to 450 pounds. Phantom Eye is designed to maintain a persistent presence in the stratosphere over a specific area, while performing missions that could include intelligence, reconnaissance, surveillance and communication. Boeing also is developing a larger HALE that will stay aloft for more than 10 days and carry payloads of more than 2,000 pounds, and building "Phantom Ray," a fighter-sized UAV that will be a flying test bed for advanced technologies.
"We believe Phantom Eye and Phantom Ray represent two areas where the unmanned aerial vehicle market is heading, and rapid prototyping is the key to getting us there," said Dave Koopersmith, Advanced Boeing Military Aircraft vice president. "These innovative demonstrators reduce technology risks and set the stage for meeting both military and commercial customers' future needs."
Phantom Eye evolved from Boeing's earlier success with the piston-powered Condor that set several records for altitude and endurance in the late 1980s. Boeing, as the Phantom Eye system designer, is working closely with Ball Aerospace, Aurora Flight Sciences, Ford Motor Co. and MAHLE Powertrain to develop the demonstrator.
Phantom Ray evolved from the X-45C program. It is scheduled to make its first flight in December.
Boeing Patent - Sonic Cruiser Meets BWB
It appears there is still interest at Boeing in high-speed airliners, at least within its advanced projects organization. The company has been granted a US patent for a design that is remininscent of both its high-speed Sonic Cruiser and high-capacity Blended Wing Body (BWB), if that's not too odd-sounding a concept.