Aeroplanes
June 21, 2007 A new wind detection system installed at Tokyo International Airport will provide air traffic control personnel with improved monitoring of wind activity and advanced warning of hazards such as low-level wind shear. The WindTracer system developed by Lockheed Martin is a Doppler LiDAR (light detection and ranging) system that provides high-resolution wind data and mapping at a range of up to six nautical miles. Read More
June 19, 2007 With combustion-driven aircraft currently producing around 5% of greenhouse gas emissions, the time has clearly come to look at alternative power sources across the skyways. Electric motors have come a long way in relation to cars, but American scientists have now unveiled research that would enable high-powered, ultra-reliable electromagnetic engines to be built for airplanes. Using lightweight superconductors and emission-free hydrogen fuel cells to get around the problems experienced by previous attempts, these electric planes would be eco-friendly, exceptionally quiet and highly energy efficient as well as dramatically cutting down on maintenance costs through the elimination of engine hydraulics. This is an exciting convergence of technology with amazing implications throughout the transport sector. Read More
February 2, 2005 - Northrop Grumman has successfully completed the first phase of flight testing a demonstrator version of a new medium altitude endurance unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). Soldiers in urban battle zones could receive more timely and complete information about enemy forces from low-flying unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) with the technologies being developed. Read More
