THE COUNT
The number of electric aircraft currently in development
worldwide, according to consulting fi rm Roland Berger.(^170) That’s an increase of roughly 50 percent over the past year.
Airportssometimeshaveobstructions.An
infraredcameraallowstheC2Landsystem
toworkinfoggyorhazyconditions.
Shortened Pit Stop for F-35s
A New Old Trick
Airmen from the 366th Logistics Readiness Squadron,
a.k.a. “Gunfighters,” devised an old-tech solution for
reducing the hot-pit refueling time of F-35 Lightning II
Joint Strike Fighters.
Initially, they used R-11 trucks. Each holds 6,
gallons, enough for refueling only two aircraft at a
time. So the Gunfighters instead rigged up a hydrant
system from the 1950s with hose carts from the 1970s,
directly connected to 500,000-gallon tanks.
Now they can run hot-pits 24/7, saving the 15
minutes previously needed to set up a new R-
between two F-35s.
LANDING WITHOUT A PILOT
Since small airports often lack the pricey ground equipment—
such as the Instrument Landing System—that allows for
automated landings, researchers at the Technical University of
Munich are developing an onboard system, C2Land, that works
anywhere. They conducted a successful initial test in May, when
a Diamond DA42 four-seater airplane landed at a small airport
in Austria without pilot assistance. C2Land relies on an optical
reference system, which processes both visible and infrared
light. A computer then compares the images with the airplane’s
location, as indicated by GPS signals, calculating a virtual glide
path for the landing approach and adjusting fl ight controls by
means of a fl y-by-wire system.
DRONEBUSTERS
THE SCIENCE OF
SMASHING UAVs
Researchers at Germany’s
Fraunhofer Institute for
Short-Time Dynamics are
smashing drones in the
name of safety. Aircraft must
undergo tests to assess their
tolerance to bird strikes
before being certifi ed to fl y.
But government agencies
still lack crucial data to
determine how much
damage drones could infl ict
on airplanes.
The researchers are
gathering data by using a
compressed-air cannon to
shoot drone components—
at speeds up to 837 feet per
second—against aluminum
plates simulating an aircraft
fuselage. They’ve confi rmed
that a drone’s batteries
and motors cause the most
serious damage. Eventually,
the team plans on shooting
drones weighing up to 6.
pounds at complete aircraft.
12 AIR & SPACE airspacemag.com
TOP: USAF/AIRMAN FIRST CLASS ANDREW KOBIALKA; BOTTOM: RIVERBEND PRODUCTIONS/SHUTTERSTOCK
A hot-pit allows aircraft to refuel
without turning the engine off and
quickly return to the air.