Researchers at Purdue University working with the U.S. Air Force have developed wireless sensors strong enough to survive inside operating jet engines where temperatures can climb to 572°F.
The firefighting team bat t l ing the recent California wildfires got a helping hand from Ikhana, a Predator B UAV from General Atomics in San Diego (www.ga.com) and modified by NASA with an IR imager
A backpack-sized unmanned aerial vehicle from Honeywell will likely use a 60-cc engine designed and built by RCV Engines Ltd., Brighton, U.K. (rcvengines.com).
Researchers at Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, N.M. and Livermore, Calif., hope to produce military Jet Propellant 8 (JP-8) fuel from plants, including microalgae, for the U.S. and NATO.
The U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security (DHS) hopes to use high-altitude, long-endurance UAVs to protect commercial aircraft from attacks during takeoffs and landings at major U.S. airports.
A team led by aerospace researcher Anthony Colozza, a researcher with Analex Corp., in Fairfax Va., and NASA Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Oh., have been working on designs for a plane that will fly like a bird.