Program to Introduce New Threat Detection, Countermeasure Capabilities

WASHINGTON, April 27, 2009 – A lot of questions are likely to rush through your head when you’re out on the battlefield and the enemy projectiles come flying. The Defense Advanced Research Project Agency is making big strides on a program to respond with life-saving speed and accuracy.

The goal of DARPA’s CROSSHAIRS – or Counter Rocket-Propelled Grenade and Shooter System with Highly Accurate Immediate Responses -- program is to develop a threat detection and countermeasure system for light tactical vehicles, program manager Karen Wood explained.

As envisioned, Wood said, CROSSHAIRS will be able to detect and locate enemy shooters firing threats ranging from bullets to rocket-propelled grenades to anti-tank guided missiles to direct-fired mortars. In addition, it will engage the shooters and notify other friendly forces of the threat.

Read More

Future Nano-Satellite Constellation to Extend Tactical Communications Beyond the-Horizon

The first batch of eight SMDC-ONE nano-satellites developed and built by Miltec Corp. for the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command (SMDC) was delivered this week to the Army customer at Huntsville, Alabama. The program's goal is to demonstrate how a constellation of miniature, low-cost nano-satellites spacecraft, each costs about $400,000 perform six months in space, effectively extending tactical communications over-the-horizon.

Read More

Northrop Grumman Delivers First Production Center Fuselage for F-35 Program

PALMDALE, Calif., April 30, 2009 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- On April 22, Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) reached a major milestone in the development and production of the F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter by delivering the center fuselage for the first production F-35 aircraft.

The first production F-35 is designated AF-6. It is the conventional takeoff and landing (CTOL) variant for the U.S. Air Force.

Read More

Pulse Detonation Engines

One of the newest and most exciting areas of pulse-jet development is the Pulse Detonation Engine (PDE).

While they work on similar principles to a regular pulsejet, the PDE has one very fundamental difference -- it detonates the air/fuel mixture rather than just allowing it to simply deflagrate (burn vigorously).

When we cause an air/fuel mixture to deflagrate in a semi-enclosed space (such as a pulsejet or auto-engine) then pressure is generated and that pressure can be harnessed to perform some work -- eg: create thrust or turn a crankshaft.

Read More