SAN DIEGO, June 9, 2010 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- NASA's unmanned Global Hawk aircraft, developed by Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC), completed four science flights over the Pacific Ocean during the month of April. The flights were part of the Global Hawk Pacific (GloPac) mission, a joint project between NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), with Northrop Grumman support.
The GloPac mission flights revolutionized the collection of data in the stratosphere. Fitted with 11 science instruments, Global Hawk acquired and transmitted data that has never before been accessible through either manned flights or satellites. Flights reached up to 65,000 feet where information was collected from the air as well as the water and polar ice below. Data from the science instruments were downloaded in real-time to NASA Dryden Flight Research Center where scientists were able to analyze the data, and if necessary, ask the Global Hawk pilot to adjust the flight path to optimize data collection.
Flights during the GloPac project ranged from north of the Arctic Circle, over polar ice, down to Hawaii near the equator. NASA Global Hawk completed 82.5 flight hours, with one particular flight lasting 28.6 hours, eight hours of which was spent north of Alaska over the polar ice. Additionally, this was the first time a Global Hawk unmanned air vehicle has flown as far as 85 degrees north latitude.
The flights were designed to address several science objectives, including validation and scientific collaboration with NASA earth observation satellite (EOS) missions, principally the Aura satellite, also built by Northrop Grumman. The GloPac payloads collected atmospheric data in the same location at the same time as Aura and other EOS missions to compare and combine results.
"Global Hawk is a revolutionary aircraft for science because of its enormous range and endurance," said Paul Newman, co-mission scientist for GloPac and an atmospheric scientist from NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. "No other science platform provides the range and time to sample rapidly evolving atmospheric phenomena. This mission is our first opportunity to demonstrate the unique capabilities of this plane, while gathering atmospheric data in a region that is poorly sampled."
A Space Act Agreement between NASA Dryden Flight Research Center and Northrop Grumman established a partnership to re-fit and maintain two Global Hawk aircraft transferred from the U.S. Air Force. As part of the Northrop Grumman/NASA partnership, the company contributed to the GloPac missions by developing the GloPac mission plans; confirming aircraft performance through extensive analysis; providing pilots and training for NASA/NOAA pilots; sharing maintenance and operations support; and developing and building a new ground control station and software for aircraft operations. Additionally, under a contract from NASA, Northrop Grumman performed aircraft modification engineering and analysis for installation of the science payloads, which was funded by the science sponsors for each of the 11 sensors.
"We have partnered with NASA to provide this new capability for the atmospheric science community," said Carl Johnson, Northrop Grumman vice president of advanced concepts – air and land. "The Global Hawk system has been serving the United States Air Force and Navy and is now serving mankind with critical data from the NASA and NOAA science experiments. Global Hawk is truly global in its reach."
Later this year, NASA Global Hawk will examine hurricanes and their formation process. This experiment will explore the possibility of improving hurricane forecasts. The Global Hawk aircraft is proving to be the premier platform for use in high-altitude, long-duration Earth science missions.
Northrop
viernes, 11 de junio de 2010
Airbus consigue compromisos por valor de 15.300 millones de dólares en el Salón Aeronáutico de Berlín ILA
Durante el Salón Aeronáutico de Berlín ILA 2010, Airbus ha anunciado compromisos para la adquisición de los productos de su amplia gama, con un total de 67 aviones valorados en 15.300 millones de dólares. Estos compromisos incluyen pedidos en firme de 32 A380, valorados en 11.500 millones de dólares, además de Acuerdos de Intenciones (MoU) de otros 35 aviones, valorados en 3.800 millones de dólares.
El aspecto más remarcable durante el Salón, ha sido el pedido en firme de Emirates Airline de 32 aviones A380. Este último pedido de esta compañía aérea basada en Dubai, eleva el pedido total del A380 a 90 unidades. Emirates ha apoyado el desarrollo del A380 desde sus inicios, y este pedido – el más grande de A380 que se ha hecho jamás – es, sin lugar a dudas, la confirmación, tanto de la excepcional actuación del avión como de su importante papel para los planes de expansión de las aerolíneas que lo operan.
Además de este pedido en firme, Airbus ha conseguido Acuerdos de Intenciones (MoU) de otros 35 aviones, valorados en 3.800 millones de dólares, de:
El aspecto más remarcable durante el Salón, ha sido el pedido en firme de Emirates Airline de 32 aviones A380. Este último pedido de esta compañía aérea basada en Dubai, eleva el pedido total del A380 a 90 unidades. Emirates ha apoyado el desarrollo del A380 desde sus inicios, y este pedido – el más grande de A380 que se ha hecho jamás – es, sin lugar a dudas, la confirmación, tanto de la excepcional actuación del avión como de su importante papel para los planes de expansión de las aerolíneas que lo operan.
Además de este pedido en firme, Airbus ha conseguido Acuerdos de Intenciones (MoU) de otros 35 aviones, valorados en 3.800 millones de dólares, de:
- TAM Airlines: cinco A350-900 valorados en casi 1.300 millones de dólares, más 20 aviones de la Familia A320, valorados en unos 1.700 millones de dólares (seis A319s, siete A320s y siete A321);
- Finnair: cinco A321 valorados en 485 millones de dólares. Estos aviones irán equipados con Sharklets, los nuevos dispositivos aerodinámicos que mejoran la actuación del avión.
- Germania: cinco A319 valorados en 372 millones de dólares.
Boeing to demonstrate UAV Cooperative Control Technologies for USAF
The Boeing Company (NYSE: BA) has received a three-year, $9.8 million contract from the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory to further develop and demonstrate technologies that will enable multiple small unmanned aerial vehicles to coordinate with each other and a manned airborne control station to more safely and effectively carry out intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions.
The Foxhunt Multi-Small Unmanned Aerial System Cooperative Control Demonstration will leverage Boeing's networked systems expertise and technology advancements to directly support an emerging and challenging U.S. Air Force need.
"The focus of the Foxhunt program is the airborne control of a varied mix of unmanned aerial vehicles," said Patrick Stokes of Boeing Research & Technology, the company's advanced, central research, technology and innovation organization, who will manage the research effort. "It's part of a grander vision outlined by the Air Force Research Laboratory to include the air launch, command-and-control and airborne recovery of unmanned aerial systems – all from an airborne mothership."
Stokes said the unmanned aerial systems are intended to be an extension of the manned mothership's sensor and weapon suites, improving situational awareness and intelligence, as well as surveillance and reconnaissance reach, allowing for safer stand-off distances.
The team working on this effort includes researchers from the Boeing Research & Technology and Boeing Test & Evaluation groups of Boeing's Engineering, Operations & Technology organization; Boeing Defense, Space & Security's Phantom Works organization; and Insitu, a wholly owned independent Boeing subsidiary. Jonathan How, a renowned researcher from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the area of unmanned aerial vehicle cooperative planning, also is on the team.
"This research project is a good fit within Boeing's overall research-and-technology strategy," said Jim Paunicka, a Boeing Technical Fellow and the program's principal investigator. "It supports research and technology roadmaps in many Boeing programs, helping to further the development of technologies involving airborne communications and networking, unmanned aerial systems, control station architecture, multi-mission planning, and command-and-control."
Boeing Press Release
The Foxhunt Multi-Small Unmanned Aerial System Cooperative Control Demonstration will leverage Boeing's networked systems expertise and technology advancements to directly support an emerging and challenging U.S. Air Force need.
"The focus of the Foxhunt program is the airborne control of a varied mix of unmanned aerial vehicles," said Patrick Stokes of Boeing Research & Technology, the company's advanced, central research, technology and innovation organization, who will manage the research effort. "It's part of a grander vision outlined by the Air Force Research Laboratory to include the air launch, command-and-control and airborne recovery of unmanned aerial systems – all from an airborne mothership."
Stokes said the unmanned aerial systems are intended to be an extension of the manned mothership's sensor and weapon suites, improving situational awareness and intelligence, as well as surveillance and reconnaissance reach, allowing for safer stand-off distances.
The team working on this effort includes researchers from the Boeing Research & Technology and Boeing Test & Evaluation groups of Boeing's Engineering, Operations & Technology organization; Boeing Defense, Space & Security's Phantom Works organization; and Insitu, a wholly owned independent Boeing subsidiary. Jonathan How, a renowned researcher from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the area of unmanned aerial vehicle cooperative planning, also is on the team.
"This research project is a good fit within Boeing's overall research-and-technology strategy," said Jim Paunicka, a Boeing Technical Fellow and the program's principal investigator. "It supports research and technology roadmaps in many Boeing programs, helping to further the development of technologies involving airborne communications and networking, unmanned aerial systems, control station architecture, multi-mission planning, and command-and-control."
Boeing Press Release
Boeing P-8A Poseidon aircraft T2 successfully completed the program's first mission systems test flight on June 8 in Seattle
Boeing P-8A Poseidon aircraft T2 successfully completed the program's first mission systems test flight on June 8 in Seattle. T2 will be used to verify integrated mission systems performance during flights in Seattle and at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Md.
During the three-hour flight, the joint Boeing and Navy test team exercised mission computing on all five operator workstations and successfully demonstrated key systems -- including acoustics, mission planning, tactical data-link, communications, electronic support measures and flight test instrumentation -- for the first time.
"This successful flight moves us a step closer to getting the Poseidon and its next-generation radar and sensors into the hands of the warfighter," said Chuck Dabundo, Boeing vice president and P-8 program manager. "Future flights will demonstrate the state-of-the-art systems that will provide the Navy superior performance well into the 21st century."
T2 is one of five test aircraft that are being assembled and tested as part of the U.S. Navy System Development and Demonstration contract Boeing received in 2004. Boeing's T1 airworthiness-test aircraft entered flight testing in October 2009 and arrived at the Navy's Patuxent River facility in April 2010.
The Navy plans to purchase 117 P-8A anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface warfare, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft to replace its P-3 fleet. Initial operational capability is planned for 2013.
Boeing Press Release
During the three-hour flight, the joint Boeing and Navy test team exercised mission computing on all five operator workstations and successfully demonstrated key systems -- including acoustics, mission planning, tactical data-link, communications, electronic support measures and flight test instrumentation -- for the first time.
"This successful flight moves us a step closer to getting the Poseidon and its next-generation radar and sensors into the hands of the warfighter," said Chuck Dabundo, Boeing vice president and P-8 program manager. "Future flights will demonstrate the state-of-the-art systems that will provide the Navy superior performance well into the 21st century."
T2 is one of five test aircraft that are being assembled and tested as part of the U.S. Navy System Development and Demonstration contract Boeing received in 2004. Boeing's T1 airworthiness-test aircraft entered flight testing in October 2009 and arrived at the Navy's Patuxent River facility in April 2010.
The Navy plans to purchase 117 P-8A anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface warfare, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft to replace its P-3 fleet. Initial operational capability is planned for 2013.
Boeing Press Release
A400M: ILA Berlin Air Show (y Messerschimitt 109)
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