• 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

  • Innovative Techniques Add Speed, Value to Language Technologies

    Department of Defense personnel operate all over the world, fighting in the Global War on Terror, bringing humanitarian relief, and working with coalition operations. Much of the information needed to effectively operate is in foreign speech and text; however, there is a critical lack of linguists

  • RPA Pilots Closer to Airborne Thanks to DynaMan

    Remotely Piloted Aircraft pilots will fly like they're airborne thanks to a system that provides an enhanced ability to dynamically maneuver the plane. The Air Force Research Laboratory is developing the system, logically named the Dynamic Maneuvering operator interface and informally known as

  • Wright-Patterson Medical Center offers flu vaccinations

    Given the negative impact of the flu on workforce health and workplace productivity, AFMC Commander Gen. Donald Hoffman approved the purchase of vaccine for use in immunizing the command's civilian workforce during the 2011-2012 influenza season."Certainly this makes sense in terms of productivity