12 Dec 2006

New Triservice Collaboration Unites

A unique triservice collaboration known as Propulsion - Safety, Affordability, and Readiness (P-SAR) is unifying the propulsion community to achieve common sustainment goals across the Army, Navy, and Air Force fleets. Originally conceived in 2005 as a follow-on effort to the highly successful High-Cycle Fatigue (HCF) program, P-SAR has quickly

12 Dec 2006

AFRL Aids Memphis Belle Restoration Effort

In October 2005, the Memphis Belle, a Boeing B-17 that flew 25 missions during World War II and took part in the war bond tours, transferred from the Memphis Belle Memorial Association to the National Museum of the United States Air Force (NMUSAF). In 1946, the aircraft flew to Memphis, where it remained on display outside the National Guard Armory

12 Dec 2006

AFRL and AFIT Develop Tanker Fleet Replacement Model

With 90% of Air Force (AF) tankers approaching 50 years of service, the replacement or recapitalization of the fleet is an AF priority. Accordingly, AFRL and the Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT) developed an objective model to provide insight into the costs and benefits of various existing and potential fleet replacement proposals. Age and

12 Dec 2006

Aerial Multiaxis Platform Enhances Air Force Depaint and Maintenance Operations

AFRL partnered with US Technology Corporation (Canton, Ohio) to develop and implement a low-cost and highly effective aerial-based, semiautomated system for performing maintenance, repair, and overhaul work. This revolutionary system, the Aerial Multiaxis Platform (AMP), successfully integrates advanced depainting concepts with coordinated control

12 Dec 2006

AFRL Conducts Successful Tests of Mechanically Attached Blanket

AFRL engineers completed testing of three mechanically attached blankets designed to improve current thermal protection systems (TPS) for reusable space access vehicles. These flexible, insulating blankets are easier to attach and remove than the current adhesive tile TPS used on the space shuttle and other reentry vehicles subjected to high heat

12 Dec 2006

AFRL Researchers Demonstrate Fuel Cell Powered With JP-8

AFRL researchers demonstrated a planar solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) running on logistic fuel (JP-8) to the US Army Corps of Engineers. The device that made this demonstration possible is the logistic fuel processor (LFP), developed at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida. The LFP, which uses steam reforming technology to convert JP-8 into fuel suitable

12 Dec 2006

AFRL Alternatives Planning Technology Aids Decision Makers

Department of Defense (DoD) professionals frequently confront daunting amounts of data that, considered collectively, contribute to an informed decision but, viewed individually, mean nothing or add no value. Many times, this data represents inexplicit averages, approximations, and expert opinion. AFRL scientist and engineers have developed a

12 Dec 2006

CAI TechnologIes Mitigate RIsks of CertIfyIng Bonded Structures

Thanks to the AFRL-sponsored Composites Affordability Initiative (CAI), the Department of Defense (DoD) supplier base now has access to a suite of tools and technologies enabling confident certification of bonded composite structures for primary load-bearing applications. The use of these resources will promote the development of more efficient

12 Dec 2006

AFRL program demonstrates synthetic and enhanced vision for low-level flight

Administration's Langley Research Center (Virginia), and Rockwell Collins (Cedar Rapids, Iowa) collaborated under a Dual-Use Science and Technology program to conduct the first-ever industry demonstration of synthetic and enhanced vision technologies in low-level terrain-following and curved, descending, low approaches. Synthetic and enhanced

12 Dec 2006

Global Hawk Low-Pressure Turbine-Driven Generator Completes Simulated Altitude Testing

An AFRL team completed demonstration tests simulating altitude operation of a low-pressure (LP) turbine-driven, 270 VDC, 75 kW generator mounted onto an AE3007H engine. The tests accomplished AFRL's goals to develop Global Hawk power upgrades that increase the available payload power over the present RQ-4 Global Hawk baseline by a factor of 3. The