• Vests Keep Pilots Cool, Enhancing Mission Endurance and Comfort

    Pilots performing operations in hot environments are getting some relief as a result of work done by the Air Force Research Laboratory. The air-cooled vest prototype development effort, a Company Grade Officer Initiative Program (CGOIP), resulted in a wearable technology that maintains a user's core

  • SBIR Program Improves Manufacturing for Composite Engine Components

    Researchers from the Air Force Research Laboratory have successfully completed a Phase II Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program to reduce the cost of high-temperature polyimide materials. The program resulted in improvements to the manufacturing process, and the qualification and

  • Unique Capability Tests Rain Erosion at High Speeds

    A one-of-a-kind supersonic rain erosion (SURE) testing capability, simulating the impact of rain on aerospace systems traveling at transonic and supersonic speeds, has been developed by AFRL researchers. The SURE capability enables both predictive modeling, and large- and full-scale component rain

  • 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