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Airbus’ Blue Condor test flights will measure hydrogen engine contrails
Audio version of this article:
Airbus UpNext is to conduct a flight test program that studies contrails produced by a hydrogen combustion engine as part the company’s ZEROe roadmap.
The Blue Condor project will launch two modified Arcus gliders, one equipped with a hydrogen combustion engine, the other with a kerosene-powered combustion engine, to compare contrails emitted at high altitudes.
Test flights are scheduled for late 2022 in North Dakota, USA, in partnership with the University of North Dakota.
“Contrail characterisation is of significant interest to Airbus,” said Sandra Bour Schaeffer, CEO of Airbus UpNext, Airbus’ future technologies subsidiary. “We know that hydrogen emits no carbon dioxide when burned, but we also know that with water vapour and heat being the most significant by-products, hydrogen combustion does produce contrails. Although these contrails differ significantly to those produced by conventional JetA / A1 combustion engines, understanding their composition will be key to support our decarbonisation journey.”
Bour Schaeffer continued: “In taking up this challenge we are making significant headway in our decarbonisation strategy and our ambition to bring the world’s first zero-emission commercial aircraft into service by 2035.”
The Blue Condor demonstrator will be supported by the Perlan Project team, which will modify the Arcus gliders. They will also provide the high-altitude glider pilots that in 2018 set the world subsonic altitude record of 76,124ft in a pressurised glider for Airbus Perlan Mission II.
The German Research Centre DLR will collect and analyze data captured using its measurement instrumentation sensors on a chase aircraft, while Airbus will provide the hydrogen system and equipment, including the combustion engine and details of the flight test mission.
To ensure 100% comparable data between the hydrogen and conventional engine, the test flights will be carried out back-to-back under the same meteorological conditions.
Airbus is also conducting similar demonstration programs – including ECLIF3 (Emission and Climate Impact of Alternative Fuels) and VOLCAN (VOL avec Carburants Alternatifs Nouveaux) – to better understand contrails produced by sustainable aviation fuels.
Source: aerospacetestinginternational.com
Boom reveals new supersonic design and industry partnerships
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Boom unveiled a refined design of its supersonic airliner at the Farnborough Airshow today, shaped by more than 50 redesigns and validated by a series of wind tunnel tests.
The latest production configuration of its 65 – 80 seat Overture airliner features a streamlined fuselage that tapers to the rear and reshaped “gull wings” that provide improved manoeuvrability at low speed while ensuring its cruise speed of Mach 1.7.
The Overture will be 201ft long with a wingspan of 106ft, slightly smaller than a Boeing 737 or Airbus A320 single aisle aircraft. The supersonic airliner will have a range of 4,890 miles (7,870km) and be powered by four engines, which in the latest design have been moved further back along the fuselage to improve safety.
Blake Scholl, CEO of Boom Supersonic said, “We have conducted 26 million hours of simulation and confirmed our design with five wind tunnel tests.
“The intricately tailored fuselage applies a principle called area ruling that significantly improves supersonic efficiency. The new wing design balances supersonic efficiency with stability and control at lower speeds.
“It’s kind of like the Concorde and the 747 had a baby.”
Area ruling is an aerodynamic principle that to minimize drag the cross-sectional area changes smoothly along the aircraft from tip to tail.
Other changes include an increase in the wingspan to include flaps and slats which will enable a 20% improvement in low speed aerodynamic efficiency and a redesigned intake and nozzle on the engines to reduce noise. Boom is also developing software-based controls that will Scholl said will “dynamically optimise flaps, slats, engine thrust and climb to reduce noise on the ground”.
Boom plans to break ground on its factory later this year and fly Overture for the first time in 2026. Meanwhile the company is continuing to progress work on its one-third scale prototype XB-1 towards flight testing.
Scholl said, “We did XB-1 to learn the lessons that we need to make Overture a success. Overture’s design has been able to evolve based by what we have learnt from XB-1. Most of the team has shifted away from XB-1 to Overture but XB-1 is progressing well with brake tests today and the first taxi tests tomorrow.”
Industry partnerships
Boom also announced a series of supplier and industry partnerships at Farnborough this year. A partnership with US aerospace and defense firm Northrop Grumman will see the two companies jointly develop a special mission variant of Overture for use by the US military and its allies.
“This landmark strategic collaboration will bring the power of speed to the US and its allies around the planet. We see a multitude of possibilities, transporting troops, cargo, for just in time supply chains and rapid response.”
The partnership sees Boom move away from a focus on commercial applications for Overture.
Tom Jones, president of Northrop Grumman Aeronautics Systems said, “We are no strangers to high technology and we are always looking at the best ideas in the commercial sector that will enable critical capabilities for our customers.
“We are excited about the concept of a long range, high speed, high payload capacity airframe that can enable to our customers. Over the coming years we will be working with Boom to unlock the potential of the defence market.”
Boom also announced supplier partnerships with Safran on landing gear, Eaton on fuel systems and an expansion to its partnership with Collins to cover air data and ice protection
Scholl added that more supplier partnerships would be announced in the “coming months” for flight controls, structure and propulsion.
LX-1 flying car revealed – ‘hyper eVTOL’ prototype
The aircraft is a personal automobile for the sky for its creators.
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The dream of flying cars is ancient, and yet, we have yet to see this dream become a reality.
But a manned alpha prototype of an eVTOL (electric vertical take-off and landing) aircraft has been revealed, bringing us closer to that dream.
While the experimental prototype LX-1 doesn’t display the dashing looks from earlier renders, its aluminum frame was designed to test the propulsion system, consisting of four banks of at least 72 small vertical-lift fans. And it has two larger diameter fans at the rear, giving it some horizontal thrust, according to New Atlas.
LEO Flight previously announced its LEO Coupe, which is designed by award-winning designer Carlos Salaff of SALAFF Automotive, and features a revolutionary, proven electric propulsion system created by Pete Bitar of Electric Jet Aircraft, a DARPA-funded propulsion system. The aircraft is called a personal automobile for the sky by its creators.
The aircraft will have up to a zooming speed of 250 mph (400 kph) and be able to travel 300 miles (483 km) on a single charge.
The final version of the aircraft will run no less than 200 small vertical jets, each being 4.4 inches (11 cm) in diameter and producing 11.7 lb (5.3 kg) of thrust for a total of over 2,300 lb (1,043 kg) of thrust, Bitar now told New Atlas.
The aircraft will have an empty weight of 1,100 lb (499 kg) and be able to carry a 510 lb (231 kg) payload.
The aircraft will be rather compact, with a size of 10′ x 20′ (3m x 6m). LEO Coupes’ size enables it to be privately owned, used as an air taxi, and as a vehicle that can be landed anywhere where space is limited.
The aircraft will have gull-wing doors leading into a cabin for three adults, including the pilot. According to LEO Flight, the aircraft will have easy-to-learn semi-autonomous controls that make flight simple.
The vehicle’s wings will be non-exposed rotors to eliminate danger to those around the aircraft.
LEO plans to sell the Coupe as a personal eVTOL aircraft, promising a somewhat optimistic range of around 300 miles (480 km) out of just 66 kWh of battery, with a price tag of $459,900.
VertiStop for mobile charging
LEO Flight also announced its rapid-charging solution for the LEO Coupe, VertiStop. While LEO Coupe can be recharged at home and landed on just about any surface, travelers can also use VertiStop as a compact charging and landing pad.
VertiStop can be rapidly deployed on rooftops and parking structures. Supporting LEO Flight’s pathway to building an extensive network of charging and parking spots.
The VertiStop unit provides a power grid connection and fast charging for the vehicle. Its integral solar arrays supplement energy needs, while its mesh top will help absorb air currents from LEO’s jet system.
It also looks ideal for fire rescue, medevac, Coast Guard, tourism, exploration, and most terrain without developed road infrastructure.
This novel aircraft is an all-in-one vehicle with its abilities, looks, and its probable forms of utilization.
How do planes take off and land on aircraft carriers?
A plane needs hundreds of meters to take off and land safely. What are the technologies that allow planes to do this in the space of an aircraft carrier?
In the new Top Gun we will see Tom Cruise, or rather Captain Pete “Maverick” Mitchell, take off from an American super carrier, aboard a Boeing F / A-18 Super Hornet. But how does a nearly 3000 kg plane take off in few tens of meters of an aircraft carrier? The secret is contained in a mechanism called “catapult” for take-off and with a system of cables for fitting.
The difference between take-off and landing on aircraft carriers
The first thing to do is to clarify the difference between taking off and landing on an aircraft carrier. They must be distinguished not only because they are two different flight phases (obviously), but also because they are based on two different mechanisms.
Taking the CATOBAR aircraft carriers for example, take-off is performed in the front part of the ship with the aid of the so-called catapult, while the landing begins in the bow part with the aid of cables. Let’s see the two phases in detail.
How does the take-off work?
Takeoff, by definition, is the maneuver by which an aircraft leaves the ground, in this case from the deck of an aircraft carrier. On normal asphalt runways, without the aid of external mechanisms and relying only on the engines, even with the afterburners activated, the normal take-off space is of the order of hundreds of meters. The take-off run depends on the type of aircraft and its configuration. On aircraft carriers, the steam catapult is used to launch an aircraft up to take-off speed.
The launch system consists of a groove made on the flight deck, inside which there is an aircraft coupling system capable of accelerating the aircraft until it reaches high speeds. The nose gear of the aircraft is connected to the device in the furrow and the entire aircraft is launched at a speed sufficient for take-off from the ship. Behind the aircraft a panel rises to protect the deck from the exhaust of the powerful engines.
To create the “catapult” effect, a steel bar is used which remains attached to the nose gear of the plane to be launched. Upon take-off, latches are released – which in turn release a piston inserted into a pressure circuit where steam had been accumulated. The piston moves and the aircraft reaches a speed sufficient for takeoff in 4 seconds.
The development of the first steam catapults dates back to the early 1930s, when the first reconnaissance planes were launched from the deck, such as seaplanes. At the time, there were no recovery systems for the aircraft, which were hoisted from the sea after their landing.
With the development of the aircraft and with the consequent increase in the weight of the aircraft, a more performing system was necessary to be able to launch the aircraft. Starting from 1950, the first steam catapults of modern conception began to be used, similar to those used to this day on major aircraft carriers. The first military ship to be equipped with a steam catapult of this type was the English HMS Perseus.
How does the landing work?
Landing on the aircraft carrier is an extremely difficult and dangerous maneuver. For this particular phase of flight, pilots perform numerous exercises in any light condition. It is also extremely stressful, both for the pilots and for the structure of the aircraft itself: it goes from over 200 km / h to 0 km / h in just a few tens of meters, with a very strong deceleration – and it is precisely for this reason the pilots they must be well trained.
The system used today in most aircraft carriers is the stop cable which is hooked by the tail hook of the aircraft during the docking phase. The operation is very simple: the pilot in the approach phase releases the hook (present on board the aircraft). Up to three equidistant cables are stretched across the deck at a certain distance from the stern. To stop the aircraft, the pilot must therefore “grab” one of the three cables and, if they are missing, it would be necessary to repeat the maneuver.
At the moment of coupling, the energy of the plane’s motion is transferred to the cable, which through pulleys (usually lateral) sends it back to the stopping motor, dissipating it. When the docking bracket and cable are pulled by the aircraft, the shutdown motor is activated ensuring a “soft” landing for the aircraft. At the end of this maneuver the pilot detaches the tail hook from the bracket and the cable returns to the extended position.
An aircraft landing on an aircraft carrier holds the engine at approximately 85% of maximum power. If the cable stops the plane, the pilot turns off the engine and releases the cable, otherwise he makes a go-around, having enough power to continue the ride on the bridge he can regain altitude, make a new turn and repeat the landing. The modern aircraft carriers of the U.S. Navy use Mark 7 Mod 3 cables which have the ability to stop a 22,000kg aircraft at speeds of 240km / h in a space of 104m.
The “cable + hook” technique was used as early as 1911, but it was only with the development of increasingly heavier and more performing aircraft that this technology began to be used: after the Second World War this system was adopted by most aircraft carriers, in place of the previously existing barriers or barricades.
Ah, quoting Top Gun once again, let’s remember that for an F-14 Tomcat the take-off run is 465m, while to land it needs 785m of runway. On an aircraft carrier, it performs these maneuvers within a few tens of meters.
New kind of solar cells generate electricity even at night
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UNSW scientists have announced a breakthrough in the field of renewable energy. They have developed a new kind of solar cells that can produce electricity even at night.’
Known as ‘Night-time’ solar power, the technology generates electricity from heat radiated as infrared light, in the same way as the Earth cools by radiating into space at night. However, it generates a very small amount of energy, but scientists hope to improve the results in the future.
A semiconductor device called a thermoradiative diode, composed of materials found in night-vision goggles was used to generate power from infrared light emission. This is an unambiguous demonstration of electrical power from a thermoradiative diode.
Like the solar cell generates electricity by absorbing sunlight, the thermoradiative diode generates electricity by emitting infrared light into a colder environment. In both cases, the temperature difference is what lets us generate electricity.
This ‘Night-time’ solar power technology is an exciting confirmation of a previously theoretical process. It is the first step toward making specialized and much more efficient devices that could one-day capture energy at a much larger scale.
Dr. Michael Nielsen, co-author of the paper, said: “Even if the commercialization of these technologies is still away down the road, being at the very beginning of an evolving idea is such an exciting place to be as a researcher.”
“By leveraging our knowledge of how to design and optimize solar cells and borrowing materials from the existing mid-infrared photodetector community, we hope for rapid progress towards delivering the dream of solar power at night.”
A/Prof. Ekins-Daukes said, “Down the line, this technology could potentially harvest that energy and remove the need for batteries in certain devices – or help to recharge them. That isn’t something where conventional solar power would necessarily be a viable option.”
Scientists hope that industry leaders will recognize the potential for the new technology and support its further development.
This could have niche applications for spacecraft or satellites or devices that need at least some power around the clock. Any consistent sun light would work better to have regular solar and 150 to 250 watt hours per square meter of batteries to cover night time operation.
A/Prof. Ekins-Daukes said, “Right now, the demonstration we have with the thermoradiative diode is relatively, very low power. One of the challenges was detecting it. But the theory says it is possible for this technology to ultimately produce about 1/10th of the power of a solar cell.”
“I think for this to be a breakthrough technology, we shouldn’t underestimate the need for industries to step in and drive it. There’s still about a decade of university research work to be done here. And then it needs industry to pick it up.”
“If the industry can see this is a valuable technology for them, then progress can be extremely fast.”
High-power microwave technology to use against drone threats
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The Pentagon’s Joint Counter-Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems Office has finished tests of a high-power microwave technology called The Epirus system that has the capacity of disabling several drones at once, according to a report by Defense News published on Wednesday.
Testing the effector’s emissions
This isn’t the Pentagon’s first demonstration of the technology. It conducted two more last year in the spring and fall. This most recent test took place during a whole week from April 4 to 22 at Yuma Proving Ground, Arizona.
“What we primarily focused on in that first week for high-power microwave was how well the effector emitted,” Michael DiGennaro, the test team lead for JCO’s acquisition and resourcing division, said during a May 11 media roundtable.
“We were looking at range to engage the targets that were inbound and the amount of time it took to either deter or defeat the target.” DiGennaro further added that the Epirus system proved successful in its assigned activities, and it “was able to defeat targets in the range that is normally associated with what is currently in the field, and has the promise to be a little bit more effective in the future.”
Countering small UAS
The Pentagon also evaluated technologies that could counter small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), choosing from a total of 25 submitted whitepapers for the process. The five chosen companies were Anduril Industries, Black Sage, CACI (California Analysis Center, Inc), Rafael Systems Global Sustainment, and SAIC (Science Applications International Corporation).
“We had five very complex architectures out there,” DiGennaro said. “Each of them brought a host of different components for detection, identification, tracking, and defeat, and we tested against each of those components both individually and then as a system, culminating in a ‘defend the forward-operating base’ scenario.” These military exercises resulted in the collection of important data, which will be shared with the Defense Department at a later date.