• Devices Enable High-Speed Feedback from Networked Weapons

    The Air Force Research Lab has completed the Affordable Weapons Datalink Insertion (AWDI) program for the development of production-grade Gallium Nitride-on-Silicon (GaN-on-SiC) monolithic microwave integrated circuits (MMICs). The program is a joint effort between Rockwell Collins, Nirtronex

  • Center Dedicated to Understanding, Developing Alternative Fuels

    The Air Force Energy Policy outlines the goal of certifying all AF systems for operation on alternative fuels, and to begin acquiring significant portions of our aviation fuel from sources of alternative fuels. In order to meet this objective, the Air Force must understand the characteristics of

  • Graphene Research Could Totally Transform Technologies

    Air Force Research Laboratory research on graphene, a recently discovered form of carbon, has made a significant contribution to materials development of carbon-based electronics. These efforts improved the understanding of the growth process for both graphene and carbon nanotubes (CNTs) on silicon

  • AFRL Program Offers Engineers Prime Facilities, Opportunities

    AFRL designed and managed the Institute for Science and Engineering Simulation (ISES) Program, allowing researchers access to state-of-the-art material characterization, modeling and simulation facilities. ISES enables the design of experiments aimed at identifying damage and failure mechanisms of

  • Symbology Collaboration Helps Pilots “See” During Brownouts

    Degraded visual environments, including brownout in the desert environments of Afghanistan and Iraq, account for one third of non-hostile combat and non-combat helicopter mishaps. AFRL has been conducting a collaborative in-house effort with the US Army Aeroflightdynamics Directorate (AFDD) to

  • Desert Sand Meets its Match in New Military Testing Standards

    Today's Air Force operates in hot, arid, sandy environments that are tough on systems and their components. Reliable testing of protective materials is essential to assess their durability and safe operation, but it has been discovered that the decades-old characterizations of sand don't match the

  • B-2 Windows Get Quicker Fixes Thanks to SIBR Program

    A Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program between the Air Force Research Laboratory and Physical Optics Corporation has introduced a method for repairing scratched indium tin oxide (ITO) coatings on aircraft canopies. The Laser-Assisted Coating Repair (LACR) will be performed during

  • SBIR Program Makes F-35 Fastener Insertion Cheaper, More Accurate

    Researchers from the Air Force Research Laboratory have created an improved projector guidance system in manual cells for fastener insertion during F-35 assembly. The resulting technology could be used at any fastener installation station throughout the F-35 assembly process to standardize data

  • Miniature Air Launched Decoy May Get Fuselage Facelift

    Air Force Research Laboratory scientists are characterizing the use of Shape Memory Polymer Mandrels (SMPMs) to produce a piece of fuselage for the Miniature Air Launched Decoy (MALD), a low-cost, air-launched, programmable craft that accurately duplicates combat flight profiles and signatures of