miércoles, 18 de noviembre de 2020
Airbus and Germany submit Eurofighter offer to Switzerland
Airbus and the Federal Republic of Germany today submitted their official offer to the Swiss Federal Office of Armaments armasuisse for the sale of Eurofighter aircraft to Switzerland. The offer has been prepared in cooperation with the other Eurofighter nations as well as the industrial partners Leonardo and BAE Systems, and meets the requirements of the so called new combat aircraft (Neues Kampfflugzeug - NKF) procurement process implemented by Switzerland to replace its currently used F-5 and F/A-18 fleet with a more modern model.
With the acquisition of the Eurofighter, the Federal Republic of Germany is offering Switzerland the opportunity to deepen its existing military partnership, particularly with regard to the joint training of the two air forces. With the Eurofighter, Switzerland will gain full autonomy in the use, maintenance and application of the data from its aircraft. With more than 660 orders, the Eurofighter is by far the most widely used aircraft for securing airspace over Europe. It is operated jointly by the four partner nations Germany, the United Kingdom, Italy and Spain and is undergoing continuous development. Only a few days ago, Germany itself signed the contract for the procurement of 38 Eurofighters from the latest Tranche 4 and is offering Switzerland the opportunity to lay the foundations for even closer political, economic and security cooperation by procuring the same type of aircraft.
Michael Flügger, Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to Switzerland, said: "With this offer, we are inviting Switzerland as our neighbor and reliable partner in security policy and economic matters to protect its airspace with the Eurofighter and to close cooperation between our air forces. For Germany, Switzerland is not just a customer, but a strategic ally with whom we would like to further intensify our already close cooperation. The Eurofighter is the only platform jointly developed and operated by several European nations and would therefore be an ideal solution for Switzerland".
Dirk Hoke, CEO of Airbus Defence and Space, said: "With the offer submitted today, we want to show that the Eurofighter is the best overall package for Switzerland. It is the most modern fighter aircraft currently built in Europe and meets all the requirements demanded by Switzerland. By providing construction data and other important information, Switzerland will be given complete and independent control of the Eurofighter, guaranteeing full transparency. With over 200 suppliers in the Confederation, Airbus is already a strong partner for Switzerland, and we look forward to expanding this cooperation even further".
Boeing Responds to FAA Approval to Resume 737 MAX Operations
press release
SEATTLE, Nov. 18, 2020 / -- The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) today rescinded the order that halted commercial operations of Boeing (NYSE: BA) 737-8s and 737-9s. The move will allow airlines that are under the FAA's jurisdiction, including those in the U.S., to take the steps necessary to resume service and Boeing to begin making deliveries.
"We will never forget the lives lost in the two tragic accidents that led to the decision to suspend operations," said David Calhoun, chief executive officer of The Boeing Company. "These events and the lessons we have learned as a result have reshaped our company and further focused our attention on our core values of safety, quality and integrity."
Throughout the past 20 months, Boeing has worked closely with airlines, providing them with detailed recommendations regarding long-term storage and ensuring their input was part of the effort to safely return the airplanes to service.
An Airworthiness Directive issued by the FAA spells out the requirements that must be met before U.S. carriers can resume service, including installing software enhancements, completing wire separation modifications, conducting pilot training and accomplishing thorough de-preservation activities that will ensure the airplanes are ready for service.
"The FAA's directive is an important milestone," said Stan Deal, president and chief executive officer of Boeing Commercial Airplanes. "We will continue to work with regulators around the world and our customers to return the airplane back into service worldwide."
In addition to changes made to the airplane and pilot training, Boeing has taken three important steps to strengthen its focus on safety and quality.
- Organizational Alignment: More than 50,000 engineers have been brought together in a single organization that includes a new Product & Services Safety unit, unifying safety responsibilities across the company.
- Cultural Focus: Engineers have been further empowered to improve safety and quality. The company is identifying, diagnosing and resolving issues with a higher level of transparency and immediacy.
- Process Enhancements: By adopting next-generation design processes, the company is enabling greater levels of first-time quality.
Red 6 and EpiSci Accomplish World’s First Live Dogfight Against An AI Driven Virtual Aircraft
Combat Pilots will Soon Train Against Virtual Adversaries
Santa Monica, CA, November 16, 2020 – Red 6, a revolutionary technology firm at the forefront of synthetic air combat training, and EpiSci, a multidisciplinary innovation company that develops next-generation autonomous technologies for defense, aerospace, and commercial applications, announce the world’s first live-flight augmented reality dogfight between a real aircraft and a simulated, reactive adversary aircraft. “Red 6’s ATARS system enables real pilots to fly real airplanes connected together in an augmented world,” said Daniel Robinson, Founder and CEO of Red 6.
Robinson conducted the world’s first ever dogfight in a real aircraft, against Episci’s Tactical AI Augmented Reality representation of the Chinese J-20 stealth fighter. “With this first-ever within-visual-range dogfight against an AI bandit, Episci’sTactical AI demonstrated the ability to work on a real aircraft, with flight-ready hardware and sensors,” said Chris Gentile, EpiSci’s Vice President for Tactical Autonomous Systems. “While fielding autonomous systems that control fighters may be in the future, this system is ready now to bring next-generation capability to our training programs, providing immediate benefit to the USAF’s ability to develop and maintain world-class fighter pilots. By introducing them to this technology now, they’ll be even more prepared to use a range of unmanned tools in the future,” continued Gentile.
The Airborne Tactical Augmented Reality System (ATARS), created by Red 6, showcased the groundbreaking display and control systems needed to bring AR into the real world, while simultaneously integrating Tactical AI into the Red 6 system. Designed from the ground up for rapid integration into live aircraft, Tactical AI seeks to bring AI combat autonomy out of simulation and into the real world. “With the additional integration of Tactical AI into our platform, we are now able to interact and respond to any threat aircraft. This opens spectacular possibilities for training,” stated Robinson.
Built on a trust-first hybrid AI system by leveraging EpiSci’s work in DARPA’s Alpha Dogfight program, EpiSci’s Tactical AI can provide training aids for any level of instruction, generating a repeatable presentation while using advanced AI to challenge trainees as they progress. In addition, Tactical AI can coach the student while also controlling the bandit presentation – building strong habit patterns and sight pictures from the start, while providing objective feedback on student performance and progression. “Pilots of the future will need to be comfortable teaming with AI – and training is the ideal place to introduce this technology,” said Gentile.
About Red 6
Red 6 is the creator of ATARS (Airborne Tactical Augmented Reality System). ATARS is the first wide field-of-view, full color demonstrably proven outdoor augmented reality solution that works in dynamic outdoor environments. ATARS allows Virtual and Constructive assets into the real-world by allowing pilots and ground operators to see synthetic threats in real-time, outdoors and, critically, in high-speed environments. By blending augmented reality and artificial intelligence and using both the indoor and outdoor space around us as a medium, Red 6 has redefined the limits of how the world will experience, share, and interact with its information.
About EpiSci
EpiSci is a multidisciplinary innovation company that develops next-generation autonomous technologies for defense, aerospace, and commercial applications. Founded in 2012, we draw upon years of high-risk, high-payoff research and development efforts sponsored from DARPA and other Department of Defense agencies. Through our Tactical Artificial Intelligence technologies, our vision is to be a leader of assured autonomy and creating disruptive autonomous and intelligent systems that are safe, secure, resilient, and reliable.
Duque lamenta la pérdida del satélite Ingenio, aunque recuerda que ha capacitado a las empresas españolas a acceder a nuevos contratos [España]
Nota de prensa
- El satélite SEOSAT-Ingenio formaba parte del Programa Nacional de Observación de la Tierra por Satélite (PNOTS) a nivel instrumental
- Gracias al proyecto la industria española puede liderar proyectos espaciales completos a nivel global
- La excelencia tecnológica de SEOSAT-Ingenio ya ha generado, con fecha 13 de noviembre de 2020, la firma de otro contrato para la industria española de 380 millones de euros para Copernicus
La Agencia Espacial Europea (ESA) y su contratista Arianespace, encargado del servicio de lanzamiento, han confirmado que la causa de la pérdida de la misión espacial para poner en órbita al satélite SEOSAT-Ingenio y al francés TARANIS, ha sido debida a un problema en dos conectores del sistema de control de velocidad de propulsión (TVC, Thrust Vector Control). Según Arianespace, no se trata de un error de diseño del lanzador Vega sino que está, posiblemente, relacionado con una intervención humana en la fase de control de calidad.
El ministro de Ciencia e Innovación, Pedro Duque, ha lamentado hoy la "pérdida de la misión que llevaba SEOSAT-Ingenio a su órbita", aunque ha explicado que, a pesar de ello "las tecnologías desarrolladas han capacitado a las empresas españolas, facilitando que accedan a nuevos contratos como la recién firmada misión LSTM" para el programa Copernicus de la ESA.
En este sentido, la industria española se ha visto beneficiada al haber conseguido contratos por un valor muy superior al coste del propio satélite, por lo que la inversión ha vuelto a España multiplicada, generando conocimiento, innovación y empleo especializado. Gracias al trabajo de la industria española en este proyecto, el pasado viernes 13 de noviembre se formalizó un nuevo contrato para la industria española (ESA-Airbus) por valor de 380 millones de euros para desarrollar un nuevo proyecto satelital, esta vez en el paraguas del programa Copérnico de la UE, en el entorno colaborativo con la ESA. Este contrato supone un nuevo hito, puesto que es la primera vez que una empresa española desarrolla un proyecto para Copérnicus.
El Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación esperará al informe final con detalle de los resultados de la comisión de expertos para abordar los siguientes pasos relacionados con la misión SEOSAT-Ingenio. La ESA ya ha informado en su intervención que, al igual que se actúa con todas las misiones espaciales institucionales, en este caso tampoco se ha incluido en el proyecto un seguro que eventualmente cubriera la posibilidad de pérdida de la misión. En este sentido, su portavoz ha informado de que la ESA se pone a disposición del Gobierno de España para comenzar a explorar vías alternativas que permitan reemplazar la funcionalidad instrumental de Ingenio.
La información técnica ofrecida por los responsables del lanzamiento es aún muy escasa pero han avanzado que se ha constituido una comisión de expertos que revisará el sistema del lanzador y que arrojará conclusiones, previsiblemente, en un tiempo breve.
Potential interferences between 5G and radio altimeter @ youtube
https://youtu.be/-8XRFmdAqeM
From video description:
Publicado el 16 nov 2020
RTCA, Inc. reports potential 5G Interference to radio altimeters. This may affect all classes of aircraft, from commercial air transport to regional, business and general aviation aircraft as well as helicopters, eVTOL and UAM aircraft. This potential safety issue needs to be addressed by the industry and the regulators, while standards entities like RTCA, Inc. and EUROCAE produce new standards for radio altimeters with improved 5G interference rejection. The new standards is expected in Q4 2022. Until radio altimeters with these vulnerabilities are installed on aircraft, the concerned stakeholders must come up with an appropriate mitigation plan.
Las alas de gran alargamiento de Marcel Hurel
Hurel-Dubois, o los aviones que se anticiparon medio siglo a los estudios de Boeing Truss-Braced Wing
