The Latest Word On Trends And Developments In Aerospace And Defense
USAF Simple Energy. The Air Force’s energy czar identifies a number of simple ways the service can gain energy efficiencies. Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Energy Kevin Geiss says simple decisions like identifying how much fuel to load onto an aircraft, developing better ways to load cargo and increasing cargo capacity on aircraft can help the service in an era of unstable fuel costs and budget tightening. “Just getting smarter at how we do business may take a little bit of investment to do some analysis, but it’s not a huge overhaul (like) an upgrade of a legacy system,” Geiss tells an audience at an Air Force Association breakfast in Arlington, Va., on Wednesday. “There are a number of ways we can get at energy efficient investments. The first thing is doing those things that don’t necessarily cost a lot of money.”
ONR HyDE-2G. The Office of Naval Research (ONR) awards Raytheon a contract to develop next-generation hybrid tactical generator technology for the Marine Corps, according to a company statement. Through the Hybrid Dish/Engine Expeditionary Generator (HyDE-2G) program, ONR aims to save at least 40 percent on fuel costs compared with those of diesel fuel generators typically used to support expeditionary operations today. HyDE-2G, part of ONR’s Renewable Sustainable Expeditionary Power (RSEP) program, will develop a hybrid tactical generator based upon dish/stirling concentrating thermal power generation technology. The program is expected to last two years to demonstrate key technology elements, with potential follow-on, full-scale prototype development.
Remotec Titus Deliveries. Northrop Grumman subsidiary Remotec will begin deliveries in December of Titus, the newest and smallest member of its Andros line of unmanned ground vehicles, according to a Northrop Grumman statement. Titus weighs 135 pounds and measures 27 inches long, 16 inches wide and 23 inches high. Titus retains the four-articulator design and will feature a unique operator control unit featuring a hybrid touch-screen and game system-style physical controls. Titus was designed using a modular approach, which allows the robot to be quickly adapted for a variety of mission scenarios.
New Agreement. U.S. and Netherlands officials sign a new U.S.-Kingdom of the Netherlands Status of Forces Agreement covering the Kingdom’s territories in the Caribbean. The five-year deal signed Oct. 19 expands and builds upon the success of the previous 2005 agreement. The new agreement makes it easier for the U.S. to take part in joint exercises and training, U.S. Navy ship visits and other cooperative activities with Royal Netherlands armed forces in Aruba, Sint Maarten, Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and Saba. While Curaçao is not currently covered by this agreement, the agreement does allow Curaçao to join at a later time.