Propulsion
Pratt & Whitney's F100-PW-220U engine and exhaust system have successfully powered the first flight of the second Northrop Grumman X-47B flight test aircraft. The flight of the tailless, autonomous aircraft known as Air Vehicle 2 (AV-2) took place at Edwards Air Force Base on
Propulsion
British engine maker Cubewano has adapted a heavy fuel UAS engine to create Hornet -- a lightweight portable generator weighing just 28 lbs (12.7 kg) and producing one kilowatt of power. Light enough to be carried by one person, Hornet will run on almost any fuel including JP8 heavy fuel,
Propulsion
QinetiQ’s Zephyr team has been honoured by the IET (Institution of Engineering and Technology) for their world record breaking work on a High Altitude Long Endurance (HALE) unmanned aircraft by winning both the awards for Emerging Technologies and Product Design at the prestigious IET Innovation Awards event held in
Propulsion
King Abdulaziz University in Jeddah, said Arabia is to enter unmanned aircraft systems technology with the signing of an agreement with Japan’s Tokai University, Tokyo and the British Cranfield University.The agreement is to design and build UAS powered by solar energy. The signing ceremony took place at the
Propulsion
Moller International, Inc. has awarded Space Science Corporation (SSC) a distributorship with exclusive rights in New Mexico following the completion of a market survey at the International Symposium for Personal and Commercial Spaceflight (ISPCS). "Space Sciences Corporation is a young aggressive firm and their approach to business holds many
Propulsion
At the end of October 2011, Thomas Senkel of e-volo made the first manned flight with an e-powered multicopter at an airstrip in the southwest of Germany. The flight lasted one minute and 30 seconds, after which the constructor and test pilot stated: "The flight characteristics are
Propulsion
Brock Technologies Incorporated has teamed with Ultra Electronics Precision Air Systems to integrate an impressive and capable propulsion technology, the DF-70 - a heavy fuel, fuel injected, internal combustion engine that is capable of operating on different fuels for extended periods of time. After a short period of very successful
Propulsion
The LaserMotive system transmits laser light from a ground station to a photovoltaic receiver on a UAV. Reflected light from the UAV is then captured and used to monitor its position and dynamically control the laser to deliver the power to the correct position Recently, at the Future of Flight
Propulsion
NASA says it has awarded the largest prize in aviation history, $1.35 million, to Team Pipistrel-USA.com for pushing the envelope on electric-powered flying.To win the CAFE Green Flight Challenge, the Pennsylvania-based team's Taurus G4 electric airplane flew a 200-mile course from
Propulsion
Officials of the US Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity (IARPA) Smart Collection Office in Washington has issued a broad agency announcement for the initial phase of the Great Horned Owl (GHO) programme. The programme seeks to develop fuel-to-electricity systems that couple advanced combustion engines to alternators or generators,
Propulsion
A US Navy MQ-8B Fire Scout conducts the first unmanned biofuel flight at Webster Field in St. Inigoes, Maryland. The Unmanned Aircraft Systems Test Directorate piloted the helicopter fueled with a combination of JP-5 aviation fuel and plant-based camelina. The biofuel blend reduces carbon dioxide output by
Propulsion
The US Navy is showing interest in the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s Vulture solar-powered, ultra-endurance unmanned aircraft as a means of providing communications to carrier strike groups if satellites are knocked out. The Vulture programme is developing technology for an unmanned aircraft able to stay aloft