Airbus Helicopters completes first firing campaign with HForce-equipped H145M




Donauwörth – Airbus Helicopters has recently completed a ballistic development test of an HForce weapon system on a H145M on Pápa Airbase in Hungary. The tested system included guns (FN Herstal HMP400), unguided rockets (Thales FZ231) and cannons (Nexter NC621) as well as an electro-optical targeting system by Wescam (MX15) and a helmet mounted sight display by Thales (Scorpion). All planned and required tests were performed in a tight and demanding time schedule.

“This is an important milestone towards the qualification of HForce on the H145M, which is planned for end 2018”, said Axel Humpert, Head of H145 Programme. “The positive results of this first ballistic development test are the outcome of a very good and professional cooperation between all parties involved, especially with the Hungarian Ministry of Defence.”

Next steps prior to the qualification of HForce on the H145M are the development testing of laser-guided rockets in Sweden before the end of the year as well as additional live-firing trials in summer 2018.

HForce is an innovative, incremental and integrated high performance weapon system that can easily be fitted (“plug and play”) into Airbus Helicopter’s military platforms such as H125M, H145M and H225M for ambitious and smart military operations where flexibility of mission equipment is a vital criterion. It is designed to meet the requirements of defence agencies seeking light attack mission capabilities or a complement to their existing fleet of specialized attack helicopters. Meanwhile, qualification of the core HForce system is on track for end 2017, following an extensive flight-test campaign carried out on a H225M testbed.

The H145M is a proven military helicopter, derived from the H145, a rugged workhorse and best in its class for rough EMS and police missions. First delivery of the H145 took place in 2014. The entire H145 fleet has now clocked up more than 80,000 flight hours. With a maximum take-off weight of 3.7 tonnes the H145M is an agile light attack helicopter. It perfectly matches the needs of Special Forces, can be used for a wide range of tasks, including armed reconnaissance, ground fire support, anti-tank warfare, escort, tactical transport, MEDEVAC and CASEVAC. Customers for the H145M include Germany – which in June received their 15th and final H145M LUH SOF helicopter on time and on budget – as well as the Republic of Serbia and the Kingdom of Thailand.

Airbus receives go-ahead for twin GRACE-FO satellites

press release



NASA-JPL and GFZ will continue a series of vital Earth system measurements

with new satellites in spring 2018

Transport to Vandenberg launch site in California planned for December

Friedrichshafen / Ottobrunn, 10/11/2017 – After a successful year-long test campaign by

Airbus at IABG in Ottobrunn near Munich, the twin GRACE-FO (Gravity Recovery and

Climate Experiment Follow-On) satellites will soon travel to their launch site in California.

During testing, the gravity-measuring satellites, which will track the continuous movement of

liquid water, ice and the solid Earth due to Earth's changing seasons, weather and climate

processes, earthquakes and even human activities, were subjected to conditions similar to

those they will experience during launch and in low Earth orbit. Both satellites, each weighing

600 kilograms, will be flown to the Vandenberg Air Force Base launch site in California in

December to begin final launch preparations.

The project is a partnership between NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, located in

Pasadena, California, together with the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ,

Potsdam). Both GRACE-FO research satellites will be launched into a polar orbit at an

altitude of around 500 km and at a distance of 220 km apart. Both satellites will then take

continuous, very precise measurements of the distance variations between each other and

make monthly maps of the changes in Earth’s gravitational field, which are used to track the

monthly movement of liquid water, ice and the solid Earth.

The launch of the GRACE-FO twin satellites is planned for spring 2018 on a mission planned

to last at least five years.

A Global Positioning System and a microwave ranging system measure the distance

between the satellites to within a few microns and a sensitive accelerometer accounts for

non-gravitational effects, such as atmospheric drag and solar radiation. The GRACE-FO

satellites will also feature an additional element: a new, more precise inter-satellite laser

ranging instrument, developed by a German/American joint venture, which will be tested for

use in future generations of gravitational research. Each satellite also makes up to

200 profiles of temperature distribution and water-vapour content in the atmosphere and the

ionosphere on a daily basis to aid weather forecasting.

The German/American GRACE satellites, which have been in space since 2002, are the only

satellites that have been capable of monitoring the transport of mass within the Earth system.

These include changes in continental water distribution, the melting of polar ice masses or

large inland glaciers, and mass redistributions following earthquakes. Data from the GRACE

satellites are used to detect groundwater extractions, to monitor droughts and floods, to

improve hydrological models, and to precisely quantify the contribution of land glacier and

polar ice melt to sea level rise.

Long-duration data sets are vital to provide statistically significant information about climate

changes and variations. The GRACE-FO mission will continue the important job started by

GRACE and collect essential climate variables.

Dream Chaser spaceplane successfully completes glide flight and landing




In NASA press release: https://www.nasa.gov/centers/armstrong/features/SNC_Dream_Chaser_Free_Flight.html





Sierra Nevada Corp.’s Dream Chaser spacecraft underwent a successful free-flight test on November 11, 2017 at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center, Edwards, California. The test verified and validated the performance of the Dream Chaser in the critical final approach and landing phase of flight, meeting expected models for a future return from the International Space Station.

The flight test helped advance the vehicle under NASA’s Commercial Crew Program space act agreement, as well as helped prepare the vehicle for service under NASA’s Commercial Resupply Services 2 program. The testing will validate the aerodynamic properties, flight software and control system performance of the Dream Chaser.

The Dream Chaser is preparing to deliver cargo to the International Space Station beginning in 2019. The data that SNC gathered from this test campaign will help influence and inform the final design of the cargo Dream Chaser, which will fly at least six cargo delivery missions to and from the space station by 2024.



In New Atlas: https://newatlas.com/dream-chaser-successful-glide-flight-landing/52154/

La primera tripulación del Predator B del Ejército del Aire imparte una conferencia en la Universidad Rey Juan Carlos



El capitán Francisco José Navarro Collado y el sargento Francisco de Borja González Madrigal han impartido una conferencia sobre "Aeronaves tripuladas remotamente en las Fuerzas Armadas" en el campus de Fuenlabrada de la Universidad Rey Juan Carlos.

La conferencia se enmarca dentro de la "Jornada de Drones: mundos profesionales" en la que han colaborado los grupos EIATA (European Institution for Aviation Training and Accreditation) y Aviation Group además de esta universidad. En la ponencia, de unos 20 minutos de duración, se ha dado a conocer a estudiantes universitarios de distintas carreras y especialidades el empleo de drones en el mundo militar, dedicando la mayor parte del tiempo de la conferencia al sistema Predator B.

El capitán Navarro como piloto operador y el sargento Madrigal como operador de sensores, forman parte de las primeras tripulaciones del Ejército del Aire de Predator B tras haber sido los primeros en finalizar su formación en septiembre de este mismo año en Estados Unidos.


(nota de prensa)