News - Page 678

Dec. 12, 2006
AFRL Researchers Demonstrate Fuel Cell Powered With JP-8

AFRL researchers demonstrated a planar solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) running on logistic fuel (JP-8) to the US Army Corps of Engineers. The device that made this demonstration possible is the logistic fuel processor (LFP), developed at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida. The LFP, which uses steam
Dec. 12, 2006
AFRL Alternatives Planning Technology Aids Decision Makers

Department of Defense (DoD) professionals frequently confront daunting amounts of data that, considered collectively, contribute to an informed decision but, viewed individually, mean nothing or add no value. Many times, this data represents inexplicit averages, approximations, and expert opinion.
Dec. 12, 2006
CAI TechnologIes Mitigate RIsks of CertIfyIng Bonded Structures

Thanks to the AFRL-sponsored Composites Affordability Initiative (CAI), the Department of Defense (DoD) supplier base now has access to a suite of tools and technologies enabling confident certification of bonded composite structures for primary load-bearing applications. The use of these resources
Dec. 12, 2006
AFRL program demonstrates synthetic and enhanced vision for low-level flight

Administration's Langley Research Center (Virginia), and Rockwell Collins (Cedar Rapids, Iowa) collaborated under a Dual-Use Science and Technology program to conduct the first-ever industry demonstration of synthetic and enhanced vision technologies in low-level terrain-following and curved,
Dec. 12, 2006
Global Hawk Low-Pressure Turbine-Driven Generator Completes Simulated Altitude Testing

An AFRL team completed demonstration tests simulating altitude operation of a low-pressure (LP) turbine-driven, 270 VDC, 75 kW generator mounted onto an AE3007H engine. The tests accomplished AFRL's goals to develop Global Hawk power upgrades that increase the available payload power over the
Dec. 11, 2006
AFRL INTERFACE DESIGN GUIDE INCREASES OPERATOR PERFORMANCE FOR THE AIR BATTLE MANAGEMENT COMMUNITY

AFRL research scientists developed and delivered a battle management command and control (BMC2) Human-Machine Interface (HMI) Design Guide to Air Combat Command. The HMI Design Guide promotes a common look and feel among operator interfaces without making any one platform too specific. The guide
Dec. 11, 2006
AFRL Develops Brassboard GI

Presently, all Air Force glide bombs incorporate fuzes that contain an embedded safety and arming (S&A) device. The S&A mechanism is responsible for maintaining the fuze in a safe state until a prescribed set of postlaunch arming conditions is satisfied. Because of the potentially catastrophic
Dec. 11, 2006
AFRL Fields Web-Based Tool for Evaluating Image Quality

AFRL engineers conceived, designed, and developed an online image-quality evaluation tool to fulfill a critical need associated with the creation of an autonomous approach and landing capability (AALC). The AALC encompasses sensor, human, and air vehicle considerations and thus employs an
Dec. 11, 2006
AFRL DEVELOPS WASSAR TO DETECT MOBILE TARGETS

AFRL is developing state-of-the-art weaponry that users can launch into the vicinity of mobile targets to autonomously find and defeat them. This capability provides increased survivability, multiple kills per pass, and minimal pilot workload. Since there is an inherent delay between observing a
Dec. 11, 2006
AFRL TRANSITIONS HYPERSPECTRAL EXPLOITATION TECHNOLOGY TO THE OPERATIONAL ENVIRONMENT

Researchers from AFRL and SRA International, Inc., developed Visual Checklist--a software program that provides process standardization, simple process documentation, decision support, and repeatable analyses, increasing both the productivity and the target identification accuracy of hyperspectral