Aerial dogfighting began more than a century ago in the skies over Europe with propeller-driven fighter aircraft carried aloft on wings of fabric and wood. An event held recently in southern California could mark the beginning of a new chapter in this form of aerial combat.
Category Archives: Applications & Testing & Experience
Oxai Aircraft Nearing First Flight for M2 Amphibian
After introducing its M2 Skywave amphibious airplane at ABACE last year, Oxai Aircraft returned to this year’s iteration of the show with certification plans firmly in place. Water testing will begin next week, and first flight of the M2 should take place in about two months, said Oxai chief designer, president and CEO Roger Mao.
US Air Force, Lockheed Martin Demonstrate Manned/Unmanned Teaming
Photo: US Air Force
Lockheed Martin Skunk Works, the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School and Calspan Corporation successfully demonstrated manned/unmanned teaming to improve combat efficiency and effectiveness for the warfighter. Continue reading
LightningStrike XV-24A Demonstrator Successfully Completes Subscale Flight Test Program
Aurora’s XV-24A LightningStrike Vertical Take-off and Landing (VTOL) XPlane subscale vehicle demonstrator (SVD) aircraft completed its planned flight test program in early March at Webster Outlying Field in Southern Maryland. Continue reading
Textron to Demonstrate Vertical Capability for Aerosonde on US Navy Vessel
Textron has developed a modification to its Aerosonde unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to give it a vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) capability and will demonstrate it at sea this summer. The modification allows for more flexibility in operations and a reduction in footprint for launch and recovery equipment. Continue reading
Quadcopter Inspects B-52 on USAF Taxiway
An unusual aircraft went through its motions on the Edwards Air Force Base flightline March 16 when a small quadcopter equipped with a camera took to the sky to perform a visual inspection of a B-52 Stratofortress. Continue reading
Northrop Firebird Tests UAV Collision Avoidance System
Northrop Grumman’s Firebird optionally manned demonstrator has completed an early shakedown of the anti-collision system intended to make the skies safe for unmanned and manned aircraft.
US Army Tests Dual-Rotor UAS for Casualty Evacuation
Dragonfly Pictures Inc.’s DP14 Hawk, a dual-rotor unmanned aerial system, could play a role in a U.S. Army effort to one day use drones to evacuate wounded soldiers from the battlefield. Continue reading