Additive Manufacturing: Making Imagination the Major Limitation

Additive Manufacturing (AM) refers to an advanced technology used for the fabrication of three-dimensional near-net-shaped functional components directly from computer models, using unit materials.

The fundamentals and working principle of AM offer several advantages, including near-net-shape capabilities, superior design and geometrical flexibility, innovative multi-material fabrication, reduced tooling and fixturing, shorter cycle time for design and manufacturing, instant local production at a global scale, and material, energy, and cost efficiency.

Well suiting the requests of modern manufacturing climate, AM is viewed as the new industrial revolution, making its way into a continuously increasing number of industries, such as aerospace, defense, automotive, medical, architecture, art, jewelry, and food.

This overview was created to relate the historical evolution of the AM technology to its state-of-the-art developments and emerging applications. Generic thoughts on the microstructural characteristics, properties, and performance of AM-fabricated materials will also be discussed, primarily related to metallic materials.

This write-up will introduce the general reader to specifics of the AM field vis-à-vis advantages and common techniques, materials and properties, current applications, and future opportunities.

Read more: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11837-014-0886-2

Hensoldt Xpeller: New counter-UAV system

A new counter-UAV system by German sensor maker Hensoldt has been successfully demonstrated at an airfield in Hamburg-Finkenwerder, Germany.

The counter-UAV system (for protecting airports and infrastructure) is the Xpeller, which combines camera, direction finders, radar, radio frequency detectors, optical sensors and a targeted jammer.

Xpeller uses sensors to detect and identify a UAV as far as several miles away. Then, a jammer -using real-time signal analysis- interrupts the link between the UAV and its pilot, or interferes with the UAV's navigation system.

Afghanistan: Germany to Operate Heron-1 for Additional Year

Germany has extended a leasing contract to operate the Israeli Heron-1 unmanned aerial system (UAS) for another year in support of ongoing operations in Afghanistan.

Estimated at tens of millions of dollars, the contract concluded between the German Defence Procurement Agency and Airbus DS Airborne Solutions, a subsidiary of Airbus Defence and Space, extends Heron operations in Afghanistan until February 2018. 

In its news release, IAI noted that its Heron-1 recently marked 30,000 hours in Afghanistan since the German Air Force began operating the system in 2010. The German Air Force also is operating the Heron-1 in Mali as part of a United Nations policing mission. “Our connection with the German Air Force is of course highly important, and we are proud to continue to provide an operational solution together with the excellent cooperation we have with Airbus,” said retired Israeli Air Force Brig. Gen. Shaul Shahar, IAI's executive vice president and general manager of the firm’s Military Aircraft Group.  

Small UAV Market Estimated to Reach $582.2 Million by 2019

According to the new MarketsandMarkets' research report “Small UAV Market by Trends (Mini, Micro, Hand Held UAV), by Propulsion (Hydrogen, Electric, Solar, Lithium ION), by Payload (NBC Detection, Telemetry Systems, Software Systems, Meteorology), by Application (Civil, Military, Security), by Region & by Country – Global Forecast to 2014 – 2019″, the Small UAV Market is expected to register growth with CAGR of 21.70%, and reach 2.2 million by the end of 2019.

It provides information about the leading competitors in the global Small UAV Market and apart from a general overview of the companies; it also provides details on their financial positions, key products, their unique selling points and key developments. The report also analyzes the market share on the basis of payloads used in UAVs. The report highlights the revenue analysis of the small UAV market with respect to countries such as the U.S., Austria, France, Germany, Spain, Norway, Saudi Arabia, China, India, Japan etc. This research report also segments the market on the basis of products, types, application and geography, country, forecasting revenues, market share and analyzing trends in each of the sub segments.

More info: http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/small-uav-market-141134567.html.

  

Barracuda: A brief look

Development on the EADS Barracuda fully-autonomous, medium-altitude, long-range UAV began in 2003, and is backed by both Germany and Spain. Despite crashing during a 2006 test flight, which grounded the project for nearly two years, the Barracuda has since successfully completed more than a dozen test flights.

Barracuda is built from a mix of off the shelf components and custom hardware systems. Its entire fuselage — save for a pair of reinforcing wing spars — is composed of the same carbon fibre composite that covers the Eurofighter Typhoon. What’s more, the 8m long, 2.7-tonne demonstrator does almost entirely away with hydraulics — aside from the landing gear, the UAV operates entirely on electronic actuators. And while it isn’t as quick as the Taranis, the Barracuda reportedly packs a 14kN Pratt & Whitney jet turbine capable of achieving mach .85 with a 6000 m service ceiling and an estimated 200km operational radius.

For the foreseeable future, the Barracuda will remain a developmental test bed for future Cassian UAV technologies with hopes of eventually developing a system that can operate in unsegregated airspace alongside manned and civilian aircraft. And with both the nEUROn and Taranis gunning for deployment by the end of the decade, the skies over Europe are going to get crowded.

Unmanned drones likely to take over Nimrod spy duties

 

Using UAVs for coastal patrols and Nato operations cheaper and less risky then developing replacement, says defence secretary (Read more)