U.S. Marine Corps Explores Extended-Range Blackjack
The Ancient Order of the Pterodactyl:
From the Coast Guard Aviation Association
ACADEMY CADET RECEIVES AVIATION AWARD
Published 03/18/2012 12:00 AM Updated 03/18/2012 08:07 PM
Videos commemorating 100 years of Naval Aviation and includes references to CG aviation as well as short speaking parts for 3 current CG Airdales.
. Official Centennial of Naval Aviation video
. We Remember
Boeing plant on cutting edge
by Art Thomason – May. 6, 2010 09:19 AM
The Arizona Republic
Without a pilot aboard, it can reach altitudes associated with commercial passenger jets. It has flown for longer than any of its tested competitors and has caught the eye of the Army, Navy and Marines. It can be launched to assess a variety of non-military targets such as crops or border security. It’s an example of aviation’s new generation and will soon be rolling off Boeing Co.’s production lines in Mesa.
Aviation and business-development officials say the Boeing A160T Hummingbird, an unmanned helicopter equipped with technologies never before used in rotorcraft, adds momentum to Unmanned Aerial Vehicle research and development in the East Valley.
“Aviation and aerospace in the East Valley is now a $3.5 billion industry, and, in fact, you can start to understand why everybody in economic development is trying to attract aerospace,” said Roc Arnett, president of East Valley Partnership, a coalition of civic, business, educational and political leaders.
“It says to the aviation and aerospace institute in Ohio and to folks in California and other places, ‘Wow, Arizona must be open for business.’ And, in fact, we are open for business.” In the increasingly competitive world of unmanned helicopters, the Hummingbird has no match, say executives in charge of its development. “There’s nothing out there like it,” said Ernie Wattam, program manager for the A160T and site executive for Boeing’s Irvine, Calif., operations.
The helicopter’s patented technology gives it a virtually unheard-of range of more than 2,000 miles, or 19-plus demonstrated hours , on a single fill-up. What Wattam calls the “secret sauce” is the Hummingbird’s unique ability to shift into high gear at top speed, allowing the main rotor to operate slower to generate better fuel economy and endurance.
The technology is the brainchild of Abe Karem, an innovator of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles and founder of Frontier Systems, an Irvine firm that developed the Hummingbird for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency.
Boeing purchased Frontier and the technology in 2004 and is continuing the helicopter’s refinement, a research function that will remain with Boeing’s operations in Irvine, Wattam said. Other aerospace giants in the unmanned helicopter-development race, include Northrop Grumman/Bell Helicopter and Lockheed Martin Corp./Kaman Aerospace Corp.
Much of the consumer interest in UAV technology stems from its research and development of sensors that conduct intelligence gathering as if it were recorded by human flight crews using sophisticated hardware, say researchers such as Changho Nam, associate professor at Arizona State University Polytechnic’s Engineering Technology Department.
“Over the recent years, the use of low-cost uninhabited aerial vehicles (UAV) for civilian applications has evolved from imagination to actual implementation,” he said. “Without sacrificing in sensor accuracy and reliability, civilian application of UAVs has become even more successful with the affordable cost of sensor systems such, as GPS, infrared (IR) sensors and inertial measurement units. More importantly, the implementation of low-cost sensors, which are used for the guidance, navigation and control of the UAVs. is where most interest lies.”
UAV systems, he said, can be designed for search-and-rescue, fire and crop monitoring and homeland-security border surveillance. The engineering technology department at ASU/Poly has been participating in UAV design and development projects since 2008. Under Nam’s supervision, eight of the school’s engineering students have designed and built a small, unmanned fixed-wing aircraft that can be produced for about $5,000.
At Cognitive Engineering Research Institute near Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport, Steve Shope, a physicist, conducts research on human use of unmanned aerial vehicles. The studies primarily help the military use unmanned aircraft more effectively. In Gilbert, Stara Technologies, an air-drop systems manufacturer, has developed a terrain sensor, wind sensor and a resupply pod, which can be deployed by an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle.
The Air Force Research Laboratory near Gateway airport has been engaged in UAV research since 1997 to study how humans and complex UAV technologies work together. Boeing also is having discussions with customers about non-military uses of the Hummingbird, Wattam said.
“Whether it be ice thickness, the migration stuff or oil pipes, this vehicle can do it all,” he said. “People have asked if you can use it to rescue somebody on the top of a mountain.” Most of the Hummingbird’s suitors, though, represent the Armed Forces.
“If you want to take trucks off the road in Afghanistan, do you want to put another person in harm’s way?” he said. “Absolutely not.”
Future UAVs must multitask, Air Force says
The next-generation of unmanned aerial vehicles will need to take on additional duties and be able to synchronize with other platforms, Defense Department officials said at an April summit.
Next-generation drones, such as the MQ-X, will need to do more than gather intelligence and carry weapons
By Amber Corrin Apr 29, 2010
The Defense Department is reassessing its view of unmanned aerial vehicles – a key component of modern combat operations – and deciding what the military needs from UAVs beyond their traditional use as a platform to gather intelligence and fire weapons.
The next-generation UAVs will need to take on additional duties including cargo transport, refueling and possible medical applications, and they will need to be interoperable with different platforms, users and military services, DOD officials said at an Institute for Defense and Government Advancement summit on UAVs this week in Vienna, Va.
“UAVs are 99 percent [intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance] today. In the future, they need to be multipurpose – ISR and [target acquisition], aerial network layer, attack capabilities, sustainment and cargo,” said Glenn Rizzi, deputy director at the Army Unmanned Aerial Systems Center of Excellence.
The military should concentrate on developing modular, plug-and-play aircraft built on standardized interfaces – one aircraft for multiple missions, similar frames for one platform, according to Col. Dale Fridley, director of the Air Force Unmanned Aerial Systems Task Force.
“We need to define interoperable architecture. And right now we’re working with [the Office of the Secretary of Defense] to define what that interface will look like,” Fridley said. He added that capabilities for “sense-and-avoid” aircraft detection technology, interoperable command and control, multi-access controls and enhanced human-system interfaces are among the most important short-term enablers in developing next-generation UAVs.
Fridley highlighted the MQ-X unmanned aerial system, the follow-on to the existing MQ-1 Predator and MQ-9 Reaper UAVs, as the “embodiment of the flight plan.”
Officials at the UAV summit compared the versatile needs of the next-generation UAV to the flexibility of today’s C-130.
Lt. Gen. David Deptula, Air Force deputy chief of staff for ISR, also pointed to the potential of the MQ-X, saying it will need to have the right size, weight and power to handle a combination of various payloads and missions.
Deptula also called for increased durability and survivability for upcoming UAV designs, cautioning “the current environment [UAVs operate in] is permissive. We need to be prepared for a contested and denied environment.”
The Air Force is working to incorporate the next-gen requirements into designs of the MQ-X. Col. Bruce Emig, chief of the irregular warfare division of the Air Combat Command, said his department is working with Air Force Materiel Command, Air Mobility Command and Air Force Special Operations Command to establish requirements for the new UAV designs.
Emig said the Air Force intends to have the requirements finalized in time to be included in its 2014 Program Objective Memorandum.
About the Author
Amber Corrin is a staff reporter covering defense and national security.
Additional references:
Aviation Week http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/topicalreports.do?topicName=Unmanned&elq=83d3e39ab04b4fa389fb641e42324ef8
Corin, Amber; Defense Systems, http://defensesystems.com/articles/2010/04/29/unmanned-aerial-vehicle-versatility.aspx?s=ds_030510&admgarea=TC_DEFENSE20; Apr 2010,
Thomason, Art; Mesa Boeing plant on cutting edge; http://www.azcentral.com/business/news/articles/2010/05/06/20100506mesa-boeing-plant-cutting-edge-unmanned-helicopter-project.html; May. 6, 2010
Drew, Christopher; U-2 Spy Plane Evades the Day of Retirement http://finance.yahoo.com/career-work/article/109138/u-2-spy-plane-evades-the-day-of-retirement, Monday, March 22, 2010
Koprowski, Gene J.; Demon vs. Phantom Ray: The World’s Deadliest Drones http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2010/03/03/worlds-deadliest-drones/?test=face ; 3 Mar 2010
GOLDENBERG, TIA; Israel unveils new drone fleet that can reach Iran; Associated Press; http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100221/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_israel_drones 02/21/10
Washington Examiner: http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/world/israel-inaugurates-new-fleet-of-large-drones-that-can-fly-as-far-as-iran-84907432.html#ixzz0nEFhmGXL
Eaton, Tim; Unmanned planes could begin flying over Texas in a matter of months ; AMERICAN-STATESMAN; http://www.statesman.com/news/texas-politics/unmanned-planes-could-begin-flying-over-texas-in-681019.html ; 10 May 2010
Aaron Smith; Arizona to Obama: We need Predator drones!; http://money.cnn.com/2010/05/24/news/economy/predator_arizona_border/index.htm; 25 May 2010
Alysha Sideman; Air Force slowly phases out predator drone; http://defensesystems.com/Articles/2010/12/15/Air-Force-Phases-Out-the-Predator.aspx?s=ds_201210&admgarea=TC_DEFENSE&Page=1; 15 Dec 2010
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