lunes, 23 de noviembre de 2020
Ion-propelled cargo drones: silent drone technology, evolution in urban cargo delivery
Video
https://youtu.be/uFtBdMm26Tk
Florida's Undefined Technologies (www.undefinedtechnologies.com) claims it has managed to increase the thrust levels of ion propulsion systems to "unprecedented levels" with its "Air Tantrum" technology, enabling near-silent drones with no moving parts, that look like flying pallets. Continue reading: https://newatlas.com/drones/ion-propelled-drone-undefined-technologies/
Related:
https://arstechnica.com/science/2018/11/small-drone-soars-on-an-ionic-wind-with-no-moving-parts/
https://spectrum.ieee.org/automaton/robotics/drones/pennysized-ionocraft-flies-with-no-moving-parts
Rolls-Royce strenghthens Gulfstream on-site support with new customer service centre
press release
Rolls-Royce has officially opened its latest customer support facility in Savannah, Georgia, USA. The new 62,000 sqft (5,800 m²) Savannah Customer Service Centre is adjacent to the new Gulfstream Service Center East and is scheduled to be fully operational by end of this year. It will house an on-site customer support office, an on wing services repair facility, a powerplant completion centre, and a warehouse all under one roof. The investment will create additional highly-skilled jobs over the next years, increasing the total number of our employees supporting Gulfstream and its customers.
The new service centre was named the Rolls-Royce Raines Building, in honour of local aviation pioneer Hazel Jane Raines. Raines was Georgia’s First Lady of Aviation, a strong advocate for women’s rights and an inspiring trailblazer for women in aviation.
From the beginning of our business aviation activities in 1958, marked by the first flight of the Dart-powered Gulfstream I, to the recent first flight of Gulfstream’s Pearl 700-powered flagship G700, Rolls-Royce and Gulfstream have developed a strong and successful partnership. Rolls Royce currently produces the BR710 and BR725 engines for Gulfstream’s G550 and G650 and develops the Pearl 700 to power the G700. Overall, we support more than 2,100 Gulfstream business jets worldwide via our dedicated 24/7 Business Aviation Availability Centre.
Many of those aircraft are covered by CorporateCare® and CorporateCare Enhanced; about 70 per cent of new delivery Rolls-Royce powered aircraft are enrolled in the programme. CorporateCare Enhanced, the comprehensive, fixed-cost engine maintenance management plan, provides customers with a global support infrastructure which includes: Engine Health Monitoring, a worldwide network of Authorised Service Centres and globally distributed spare parts and engines.
Andy Robinson, SVP Customers & Services - Business Aviation, Rolls-Royce, said: “As the leading engine manufacturer in Business Aviation, our customers trust in us to deliver outstanding levels of in-service support. This brand-new customer support facility is a strategic investment, which takes our longstanding partnership with Gulfstream to the next level and will help us deliver market-leading services to our Business Aviation customers in North America.
“The new Rolls-Royce Savannah Customer Services Center reflects the strong partnership between our two companies and our continued mutual commitment to providing a world-class ownership experience for our operators,” said Mark Burns, President, Gulfstream Aerospace Corp. “The first of its kind within the Rolls-Royce network, this facility serves as a strategic complement to our two Gulfstream Savannah Service Centers, providing extensive engine capabilities where they’ll have the greatest impact: at our company and manufacturing headquarters.”
“Global Fortune 500 companies like Rolls-Royce choosing to expand in Georgia are a testament to our strength in advanced manufacturing and logistics, particularly within our $57.5 billion aerospace sector supported by the Port of Savannah – now the top port for U.S. exports,” said Governor Brian P. Kemp. “I am grateful to Rolls-Royce for their continued investment in the Peach State and look forward to seeing the opportunities this expansion brings to the hardworking folks of Southeast and Coastal Georgia.”
Green light for FCMS, Indra and Thales to start designing the sensors that will contribute to NGWS/FCAS superiority
press release
- The consortium made up of FCMS, Indra and Thales will develop an innovative state-of-the-art suite of connected and distributed sensors
- The sensors, designed to meet the operational challenges of the 2040s, following the requirements of the participating nations, will contribute to the NGWS/FCAS situational awareness and ability to operate without being detected
- The understanding and close collaboration between the three industrial partners has accelerated the definition of the project goals and the signing of the contract
Germany, Spain and France the three driving forces of the NGWS/FCAS program, have entrusted FCMS, Indra and Thales with the development of the innovative suite of sensors that will equip the Future European Combat Air System.
The French Armament General Directorate (DGA) on behalf of the three nations, has signed the contract with Indra as leader of the industrial consortium in order to incorporate the Sensors as part of the Phase 1 contractual framework. The Phase 1 A Concept Study for Sensors will last for one year, a period which may be extended by another six months.
The consortium will work on the design of the concepts required to meet the stakes of 2040 and beyond for the next generation combat system, involving a connected and distributed architecture of sensors, the design of future sensors architectures and the maturation of the associated sensors technologies.
This distributed sensor architecture will leverage the capabilities provided by the NGWS/FCAS combat cloud, with improved system situational awareness and increased platforms survivability. The sensors pillar consortium looks forward to working together with the other NGWS/FCAS pillars (Combat Cloud, Next Generation Fighter, Remote Carriers) in order to optimize the design and integration of the Sensors within the System and platforms.
The signing of this initial contract provides evidence of the excellent harmony and spirit of collaboration among FCMS, Indra and Thales. According to Manuel Rodríguez Cerezo, the Director of the NGWS/FCAS program at Indra, “the industrial cooperation and the proactivity demonstrated by the three companies have facilitated the taking of this first step to move ahead with the program”.
The development of the sensor pillar is essential to ensure consistent architectures that are perfectly integrated into the new generation fighters (NGF), unmanned systems and remote operators (RCs) and the combat cloud. The superiority of the NGWS/FCAS will largely depend on the capacity of its network of sensors to compile more and better information than the adversary.
About FCMS
FCMS (Future Combat Mission Systems) is a consortium formed by HENSOLDT, Diehl Defence, ESG and Rohde & Schwarz that brings together the capabilities and innovative strengths of over 22,000 employees in the security and defence industry, some 16,000 of whom are located in Germany. HENSOLDT is contributing to FCMS with all of its portfolio competences like, radar, electronic warfare, electro-optical systems. Within HENSOLDT, the Program Lead lies with Spectrum Dominance & Airborne solutions. HENSOLDT technology is key for the performance of the future Sensor Effector network.
About Indra
Indra (www.indracompany.com) is one of the leading global technology and consulting companies and the technological partner for core business operations of its clients world-wide. It is a world-leader in providing proprietary solutions in specific segments in Transport and Defence markets. Indra is an international leader in the Defence industry for the development of critical projects for national defence of the countries for which it works, for its participation in major European programs and in the framework of NATO and also for its export capacity. It is the Spanish national coordinator in the European Defence Program NGWS/FCAS. It is also a leading firm in Digital Transformation Consultancy and Information Technologies in Spain and Latin America through its affiliate Minsait. At the end of fiscal year 2019, Indra achieved revenues of €3.204 billion, with more than 49,000 employees, a local presence in 46 countries and business operations in over 140 countries.
Indra has been appointed by the Spanish Ministry of Defence to coordinate the Spanish participation in the FCAS/NGWS program. It also heads up the Spanish participation in four of the eight pillars into which the program has been divided. It has signed international industrial agreements to lead the two transversal pillars (the studies of the system concept and the inter-pillar consistency) with Dassault and Airbus, heads up the sensors pillar at the European level and participates in the development of the combat cloud as the main partner. Indra's role as coordinator of the NGWS/FCAS program seeks to ensure that Spanish industry achieves the maximum level and quality of participation in the program.
Indra Communication and Media Relations. + (34) 91 480 97 05. indraprensa@indracompany.com / www.indracompany.com
About Thales
Thales (Euronext Paris: HO) is a global high technology leader investing in digital and “deep tech” innovations –connectivity, big data, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and quantum technology – to build a future we can all trust, which is vital to the development of our societies. The company provides solutions, services and products that help its customers –businesses, organisations and states – in the defence, aeronautics, space, transportation and digital identity and security markets to fulfil their critical missions, by placing humans at the heart of the decision-making process.
With 83,000 employees in 68 countries, Thales generated sales of €19 billion in 2019 (on a basis including Gemalto over 12 months).
Thales Media relations – Defence and Civil Aerospace Maria Mellouli +33(0)6 89 73 25 47 maria.mellouli@thalesgroup.com / www.thalesgroup.com