Propulsion
Altaeros Energies, a wind energy company formed out of MIT, announced that it has demonstrated high altitude power production from an automated prototype of its airborne wind turbine. The company recently completed testing of a 35-foot scale prototype of the Altaeros Airborne Wind Turbine (AWT) at the Loring Commerce Center
Propulsion
The US Navy is sending out an urgent request to industry for weapons-grade thermal batteries to power a new generation of the Spike missile from Rafael Advanced Defense Systems which naval designers are adapting to unmanned aircraft such as the General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper and the Northrop Grumman MQ-8 Fire
Business
[gallery orderby="rand"] A new company, Fat Head Solutions, LLC with bases in Wichita Kansas and two other major operating locations, will provide low cost, high value, and complete subsystem solutions for small unmanned aircraft systems. Capitalizing on an emerging $17B/year market, Fat Head Solutions intends to
Propulsion
Last year, Scientists at Sandia National Laboratories and Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation favourably assessed a certain technology that could extend the mission duration and capabilities of unmanned aircraft. But they concluded regretfully that “current political conditions will not allow use of the results.” The assessment was carried out to explore
Propulsion
Avio Group and MTU Aero Engine GmbH have signed a Letter of Intent (LoI) to jointly explore and identify opportunities related to the propulsion system of Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) and Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicles (UCAV). The LoI follows the cooperation MoU of the defense
Propulsion
Boeing has announced that the Phantom Eye high altitude long endurance (HALE) unmanned aircraft has conducted its first medium-speed taxi test. The hydrogen-powered aircraft is designed for persistent intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR), and communications. The test was conducted March 10 at Edwards Air Force Base in coordination with the
Propulsion
Schiebel has announced the first flight of a heavy-fuel powered CAMCOPTER S-100 UAS.The flexibility this engine provides will further add to the wide capabilities of the unmanned helicopter. After extensive development, the S-100 successfully made its maiden flight with the new heavy fuel engine at Schiebel's range
Testing
Taiwan's National Cheng Kung University in Tainan successfully flew an unmanned aircraft powered by a turbojet engine last week. The aircraft, named Sky Fortress-III, was the first university project in the world to combine a turbojet engine with an unmanned aircraft, according to Lai Wei-hsiang, professor of the
Propulsion
ITM Power has signed an Equipment Development and Lease Agreement with Boeing Research & Technology Europe S.L.U. for the development, assembly and field trials of a 1 Nm3/hour (2.1 kg/day) PEM electrolyser. The containerised electrolysis equipment will form part of Boeing’s current off-grid solar
Business
Singapore Technologies Aerospace Ltd (ST Aerospace) and Cosworth Group (Cosworth) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to jointly develop heavy fuel engine systems for unmanned systems customers in the Asia Pacific markets. The technical alliance will leverage ST Aerospace’s expertise in propulsion-to-airframe integration and operator HMI requirements, alongside Cosworth’
Testing
Propulsion by a novel jet engine is the crux of the innovation behind a University of Colorado Boulder-developed aircraft that’s accelerating toward commercialisation. Jet engine technology can be small, fuel-efficient and cost-effective, at least with Assistant Professor Ryan Starkey’s design. The CU-Boulder aerospace engineer, with a team of
Testing
Lockheed Martin won a $1.1 million contract Friday for development and ground demonstration of the integrated power system and payload into a SURGE-V hybrid UAV aircraft. Lockheed Martin and Elbit Systems of America LLC in Fort Worth, Texas, were selected last May to develop a green hybrid propulsion system