4 Dec 2006

AFRL Establishes AMIST for Focused Warhead Development

AFRL and the Department of Energy's Kansas City Plant are collaborating to provide ordnance designers the initiation tools necessary for developing focused warheads, such as the dual-role munition. These advanced weapons will require an interdisciplinary technical solution that incorporates aerodynamic, energetic, warhead, target detection, and

4 Dec 2006

AFRL Successfully Tests V-22 Flight Dynamics

AFRL engineers completed successful wind tunnel tests of the V-22 Osprey, a 6%-scale model, to improve their understanding of the vehicle's flight characteristics. They tested the model in the vertical wind tunnel at different orientations; propeller speeds; and sideslip, nacelle, and blade angles. To simulate movement through the air, the

4 Dec 2006

AFRL Successfully Tests Automated Refueling Subsystem

AFRL completed a successful flight test of an automated aerial refueling ( AAR), inner- loop control laws (IL CLAWS) system. A flight control computer (FCC) hosted the IL CLAWS system, which interfaced with the Calspan Learjet variable stability system (VSS) using discrete, analog signals. As part of the test, engineers installed the FCC on a

4 Dec 2006

AFRL Designs Tapered Ground Plane for SUAV

AFRL scientists designed, built, and tested a tapered ground plane design. The team used an important in-house facility--namely, the Radiation and Scattering Compact Antenna Laboratory--as a resource for testing verification. The improved ground plane reduces the susceptibility of a Global Positioning System patch antenna installed on board a small

4 Dec 2006

AFRL Demonstrates Transparent ZnO Electronics

AFRL scientists demonstrated transparent microelectronic circuits using nanocrystalline zinc oxide (ZnO) transistors. Large-area electronics for electromagnetic, chemical, and mechanical sensors, as well as large-display electronics, can be more useful in compact system applications such as unmanned air vehicles (UAV) if the sensors are also

4 Dec 2006

AFRL Commences GE VAATE Core Compressor Testing

AFRL engineers began testing General Electric's (GE) long-range strike (LRS) Versatile Affordable Advanced Turbine Engine (VAATE) core compressor at AFRL's Compressor Research Facility (CRF). These tests will further develop the front three stages of the dual-use core compressor to increase part speed efficiency, investigate concepts that mitigate

4 Dec 2006

AFRL Scientist Leads Polymer Effort Based on DNA Derived From Biowaste Materials

AFRL is making significant contributions to bioengineering through the investigation of a new class of polymer, or "biopolymer," based on DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) derived from biowaste materials. Dr. James G. Grote, of AFRL's Materials and Manufacturing Directorate, assembled and led a team to investigate this new biopolymer and its potential

4 Dec 2006

AFRL Presents Latest Display Technologies at SPIE Conference

AFRL's Advanced Visualization and Interactive Displays team presented its latest research and development advancements on large, tiled displays during the International Society for Optical Engineering (SPIE) Defense and Security symposium. The team presented techniques for expanding the datawall's potential beyond its use as a passive display

4 Dec 2006

Handheld Laser Eliminates Costly Waste Streams

AFRL scientists and engineers, working with Air Force Materiel Command, identified and tested several portable handheld laser devices that can remove paint from small-area aircraft surfaces and individual aircraft components without the use of hazardous chemical strippers or abrasive blast media. The positive laboratory tests are helping the Air

4 Dec 2006

AFRL Conducts Successful Micro-Meteoroid Impact Tests

AFRL scientists, partnering with Sandia National Laboratories, replicated a micro-meteoroid's collision with a satellite. The effort, which involved ground-based replication of a cosmos-based event, proved a daunting challenge for the team, but perseverance--along with a strategy change--overcame the difficulties. The team successfully reproduced a