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

11 Dec 2006

AFRL INTERFACE DESIGN GUIDE INCREASES OPERATOR PERFORMANCE FOR THE AIR BATTLE MANAGEMENT COMMUNITY

AFRL research scientists developed and delivered a battle management command and control (BMC2) Human-Machine Interface (HMI) Design Guide to Air Combat Command. The HMI Design Guide promotes a common look and feel among operator interfaces without making any one platform too specific. The guide provides critical research-based interface design

11 Dec 2006

AFRL Develops Brassboard GI

Presently, all Air Force glide bombs incorporate fuzes that contain an embedded safety and arming (S&A) device. The S&A mechanism is responsible for maintaining the fuze in a safe state until a prescribed set of postlaunch arming conditions is satisfied. Because of the potentially catastrophic consequences associated with fuze safety failures, all

11 Dec 2006

AFRL Fields Web-Based Tool for Evaluating Image Quality

AFRL engineers conceived, designed, and developed an online image-quality evaluation tool to fulfill a critical need associated with the creation of an autonomous approach and landing capability (AALC). The AALC encompasses sensor, human, and air vehicle considerations and thus employs an interdisciplinary approach for capturing both the hardware