While 3D printing offers innovative new solutions for the future of aerospace manufacturing, it also enhances traditional aerospace manufacturing processes like investment casting.
Uber announced a partnership with Aurora Flight Sciences to develop electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft for its Uber Elevate Network. Aurora’s eVTOL concept is derived from its existing XV-24A LightningStrike VTOL X-Plane subscale vehicle demonstrator aircraft.
SAE International is partnering with Ford, General Motors (GM), and Toyota to form the Automated Vehicle Safety Consortium (AVSC), which will work to help safely advance the testing, precompetitive development, and deployment of SAE Level 4 and 5 automated vehicles. The AVSC will provide a safety framework around which autonomous technology can responsibly evolve in advance of broad deployment, ultimately helping to inform and accelerate the development of industry standards for autonomous vehicles (AVs) and harmonize with efforts of other consortia and standards bodies.
PTN has now evolved into an open call to individuals with backgrounds in aerospace, education, and technology to submit goal training solutions ranging from new ideas to highly-mature solutions that could help the USAF facilitate pilot training.
On September 28, a day after the first Lockheed Martin F-35B combat strike, an F-35B stationed at USMC Air Station Beaufort crashed a short distance from the base. The aircraft was part of the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing belonging to Marine Fighter Attack Training Squadron 501.
Boeing in Everett, Wash., won a $2.9 billion U.S. Air Force contract to deliver 18 additional KC-46A tanker aircraft, spares, support equipment, spare engines, and wing air refueling pod kits. Boeing is now on contract for 52 KC-46 Pegasus military aerial refueling and strategic military transport aircraft, based on the company’s 767 jet airliner, with the addition of this fourth production lot.
Officials at SAE International in Warrendale, Pa., and Airlines for America (A4A) in Washington are recognizing Karsten Kaiser of Lufthansa Technik and Michael Ernst of subsidiary 3D.aero for furthering the science and efficacy of nondestructive testing (NDT), having presented them with the 16th annual Nondestructive Testing (NDT) Innovation Award at A4A’s annual NDT Forum last week in Seattle.
Leonardo, a high-tech aerospace, defense, and security company in Rome, will deliver 28 NH90 medium, twin-engine, multirole military helicopters valued at more than €3 billion to the Ministry of Defense of Qatar, which made an advance payment for the order now booked in the manufacturer’s backlog. NHIndustries – which is owned by Leonardo, Airbus, and Fokker – in Aix-en-Provence, France, manages the program, whereas Leonardo serves as overall prime contractor.
According to the contract, Boeing will initially receive $79 million to begin work on four operational MQ-25 refueling “drones” with integration into the carrier air wing for initial operational capability by 2024. Boeing will receive another $9.5 billion at a later date to produce 72 more aircraft.
Lockheed Martin has revealed its concept for a new crewed lunar lander: a single stage, fully reusable system that incorporates flight-proven technologies and systems from the NASA Orion spacecraft. In its initial configuration, the lander would deliver a crew of four and 2,000 pounds of cargo to the Moon’s surface for up to two weeks.
NASA has selected proposals for the creation of two multi-disciplinary, university-led Space Technology Research Institutes (STRIs) that will focus on the development of technologies critical to extending human presence deeper into our solar system. The new STRIs will bring together researchers from various disciplines and organizations to collaborate on the advancement of cutting-edge technologies in bio-manufacturing and space infrastructure.
Engineering teams take the first step toward what could become a full demonstration program with the potential to “shape the future of combat aerospace in Europe.”