EMMA HELFRICH, ASSOCIATE EDITOR

magniX and AeroTEC, aerospace testing and engineering companies, announced the flight of an all-electric Cessna Grand Caravan 208B. The flight of the eCaravan, magnified by a 750-horsepower (560 kW) magni500 propulsion system, took place at the AeroTEC Flight Test Center at the Grant County International Airport (KMWH) in Moses Lake, Wash.

AVIATION MAINTENANCE MAGAZINE

Testing results of the needlepoint bipolar ionization (NPBI) technology that powers Aviation Clean Air’s (ACA) airborne and ground-use purification systems demonstrated successful neutralization by ionization of the COVID-19 virus. The laboratory tests were conducted by Innovative Bioanalysis in a test setting designed to replicate the ionization conditions of corporate and commercial aircraft interiors. The results showed neutralization began immediately and that up to 99.4 percent of the virus was inactivated within 30 minutes.

EMMA HELFRICH, ASSOCIATE EDITOR

The Airbus A400M new generation airlifter has achieved a new decisive milestone after the certification of its Automatic Low Level Flight capability, offering a unique-in-its-class capability for a military transport aircraft.

EMMA HELFRICH, ASSOCIATE EDITOR

RAFAEL Advanced Defense Systems announced that it has been awarded a contract to supply 5th generation Litening and RecceLite airborne electro-optical systems for installation on a combat platform of an undisclosed air force.

EMMA HELFRICH, ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Octopus ISR's imaging technology includes a full HD 30x optical zoom, global shutter EO sensor, a 15x optical zoom MWIR sensor, laser range finder with up to 20km measuring range, and a laser pointer, designed for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) and small manned aviation platforms used for border control, military purposes, and civil applications.

AVIATION MAINTENANCE MAGAZINE

In this episode of The Maintenance Control podcast, Joy Finnegan, editor-in-chief of Aviation Maintenance Magazine, and safety expert Jeff Guzzetti discuss the latest DOT Office of the Inspector General report released on February 11, 2020.

EMMA HELFRICH, ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Lockheed Martin, citing supply chain delays caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, said it will slow production of F-35 fighter planes and not fulfill deliveries. Production at its Fort Worth, Texas, facility will be reduced beginning next week, and its planned delivery target of 141 planes in 2020 will likely be 18 to 24 planes short.

EMMA HELFRICH, ASSOCIATE EDITOR

BAE Systems announced a $26.7 million U.S. Navy contract to fit its infrared countermeasures system onto KC-130J cargo and refueling planes, the company said. The contract calls for the installation of the Navy's Large Aircraft Infrared Countermeasures system (LAIRCM) the aircraft.

JOHN MCHALE, EDITORIAL DIRECTOR

In this podcast, Jeffry Howington of Collins Aerospace – also vice chairman of the FACE Consortium Steering Committee for nine years, discusses with me the impact of FACE on the military avionics community, the involvement of the user community, the benefits of FACE Technical Standard 3.0, and other topics.

RAY ALDERMAN, VITA TECHNOLOGIES

WARFARE EVOLUTION BLOG. Unmanned autonomous fighter planes are the most interesting elements in the advanced kill web, even more intriguing than the manned super-stealthy 6G fighter planes we discussed in previous articles. UCAVs (Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicles) have the potential to render our enemy’s A2/AD (anti-access/area-denial) strategies completely obsolete. These platforms appear under different names: Loyal Wingman, ATC (Airpower Teaming System), Dark Sword, Taranis, Remote Carriers, nEUROn, and Sidekicks. To understand how they enhance the kill web, we need to look at their specifications and their missions.

EMMA HELFRICH, ASSOCIATE EDITOR

KBR announced that it has been awarded a $33.5 million task order from the U.S. Air Force (USAF) to provide product and life cycle analysis of common avionics for the 638th Supply Chain Management Group (SCMG) and the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center (AFLCMC).

EMMA HELFRICH, ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Abaco Systems announced a new solution with the EIU1000. The product is an I/O aggregator and data concentrator that combines high-density Ethernet, Avionics databus, serial, and discrete I/O connections in a compact, rugged system powered by a high-performance System-on-Chip (SoC) to reducing wiring, overall system weight, and complexity.

EMMA HELFRICH, ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Bell Textron Inc., a Textron Inc. company, has announced agreements with nine premier aerospace industry leaders to form Team Invictus. The companies are producing the Bell 360 Invictus prototype submission as part of the U.S. Army’s Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft (FARA) program.

AVIATION MAINTENANCE MAGAZINE

The potential of digital twins for aerospace is coming to light. Digital twins, virtual simulations of physical assets, are finding their way into aerospace. Original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) can design new engines, airframes or complex components or test how assets will mature throughout lifecycles. These virtual models allow OEMs to refine maintenance contracts and aftercare processes; it can make the twin undergo stress tests that may not be logistically possible inside a laboratory; or it can test out new designs or re-designs to establish whether to begin manufacture for physical tests. Today, entire, complex digital twins of engines are in use by OEMs.