• AFRL Small Telescope Project Proves Size Isn't Everything

    Back in 2007, an Air Force Research Laboratory engineer that an inexpensive, 1-foot-diameter telescope was picking up the same satellite as a 33-foot-diameter telescope, and developed a small telescope project that has made first-time discoveries in space. Richard Rast, a senior engineer with AFRL's

  • Students Build 22-foot Underwater Model of International Space Station

    The Air Force Research Laboratory La Luz Academy and the Challenger Learning Center New Mexico brought together middle and high school students from public, private, charter, and home schools around the Albuquerque area to build a 22-foot model of the International Space Station while underwater in

  • X-56A Demonstrator Achieves Successful First Flight

    The Air Force Research Laboratory has taken a major step forward in the development of active aircraft control technologies with the July 26, 2013, flight of the X-56A Multi-Utility Technology Testbed (MUTT) flight demonstrator. This flight took place at NASA Dryden Flight Research Center in

  • AFRL Achieves First in Advanced Engine Technology

    The Air Force Research Laboratory reached an important milestone with the successful demonstration of the ADVENT (Adaptive Versatile Engine Technology) engine core. The demonstration by AFRL, in conjunction with GE Aviation, marked the highest combination of compressor and turbine temperatures ever

  • 2 AFRL Space Station Experiments Finish Successful On-Orbit Operations

    AFRL's MHTEX (Massive Heat Transfer Experiment) and VADER (Variable emissivity device Aerogel insulation blanket, Dual zone thermal control Experiment suite for Responsive space) were decommissioned after 27 months of successful on-orbit operations aboard the International Space Station. MHTEX

  • AFRL Plays Key Role in Preventing Aircraft Towing Damage

    At the request of the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center (AFLCMC), the Air Force Research Laboratory tested a shear pin for use in a new tow bar adapter for the RQ-4B Global Hawk aircraft. The current tow bar uses an adapter that can be overloaded and fail, creating an unsafe condition for

  • AFRL Turns F-35 Model Upside Down for Measurements

    In preparation for antenna pattern measurements, the Air Force Research Laboratory was charged with rolling its full-scale Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) CV airframe model upside down at AFRL's Newport, New York, test site.The F-35 JSF antenna testing program started in 2004 with Conventional Takeoff

  • AFLCMC branch delivers first AC-130J for flight test

    The Strike Systems Branch, working in conjunction with U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM), recently completed the first flight of the AC-130J Ghostrider.The branch is part of the Special Operation Forces and Personnel Recovery Division at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. Its parent