Wyle to Develop Air Force Training and Operations for Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems — Press Release

January 29, 2010 by Matthew Potter · 1 Comment
Filed under: Business Line, Companies, Events, Press Releases, Wyle Labs 

Wyle to Develop Air Force Training and Operations for Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems

EL SEGUNDO, Calif., Jan. 28 /PRNewswire/ — Wyle has signed an agreement with the Air Force Research Laboratory to develop formal flight and sensor operator training courses designed to enhance the proficiency and competence of Air Force Research Laboratory small unmanned aircraft systems flight operations with the goal of minimizing unmanned aircraft mishaps.

Wyle and the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio will develop and validate detailed training, operations and related documentation for a radio-controlled aircraft system to support Department of Defense and other Federal agency intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, and force protection missions.

“The objective of the agreement is to develop a commercial version of the AFRL small unmanned aircraft system for potential certification by the Federal Aviation Administration in the experimental aircraft category,” said Sam Carbaugh, who has led the project for Wyle. “This will assist in enabling both government and civilian use of small unmanned aircraft for research and development, flight demonstrations and aircrew training.”

The agreement transfers government aircraft technology directly to Wyle, enabling the company to provide training and cost-saving benefits to the Air Force. Development of a commercial small unmanned aircraft systems training course will also allow AFRL personnel to receive small unmanned aircraft systems flight qualification training during the course development phases and to obtain flight training on an as-needed basis without using limited and valuable research aircraft.

“Once we’ve proven our work with AFRL, Wyle plans to offer the training to other DoD operations, government agencies and contractors,” said Carbaugh. “As the military and other government agencies move towards more use of unmanned aircraft, there is a growing need for an adequate training program.”

To support the training portions of the program, Wyle will build and operate two aircraft, each weighing approximately 20 pounds with a wing span of approximately six feet. The aircraft are significantly modified versions of a common model radio controlled aircraft which AFRL uses for various sensor and flight control research projects.

The aircraft will be operated by a ground control unit with operator controls and a laptop computer which will program the aircraft and record operational data. An optical camera system will be installed as a sensor system.

Adaptation of commercially available hobby aircraft with advanced navigation, communications and computer flight controls for use in aviation sensor technology research has resulted in various configurations of aircraft that have proven reliable and useful. Wyle will evaluate these variants to select a configuration suitable for the formal training of small unmanned aircraft systems operators, observers and payload controllers.

Wyle is a leading provider of high tech aerospace engineering and information technology services to the federal government on long-term outsourcing contracts. The company also provides biomedical and engineering services for NASA’s human space missions; test and evaluation of aircraft, weapon systems, networks, and other government assets; and other engineering services to the aerospace, defense, and nuclear power industries.

Ref.: NR/10-04

Contact:
Dan Reeder
(310) 563-6834

Source: Wyle

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Cobham Enables Airbus A330 Air-to-Air Refuelling Flight Demonstrations — Press Release

November 30, 2009 by Matthew Potter · Comment
Filed under: Business Line, Cobham Defense Electronic Systems, Companies, Events, Military Aviation, Press Releases, development program, logistics 

Cobham Enables Airbus A330 Air-to-Air Refuelling Flight Demonstrations

WIMBORNE, United Kingdom – Cobham air-to-air refuelling pods have successfully demonstrated the ability to transfer fuel from the Airbus Military A330 Multi Role Tanker Transport (MRTT) to Spanish Air Force F-18s with a series of “probe-to-drogue” contacts during recent flight trials.

The 905E refuelling pods, built by Cobham Mission Equipment at Wimborne, UK, represent the Company’s latest generation Aerial Refuelling System, which is the first and only hose & drogue system in the world to employ a dual redundant hose response system — a major contributor to world leading mission availability. During a series of contacts conducted during November 2009, the refuelling system transferred fuel to receiver aircraft and demonstrated effective hose response throughout the trials.

“These ‘wet contact’ flight trials are a major milestone in the development of the A330 MRTT’s tanker capability,” said Iain Gibson, vice president of Cobham Mission Equipment. “This achievement reinforces Cobham’s expertise and position as the world leader in delivering air refuelling solutions to meet the strategic and tactical tanker requirements of air forces around the globe.”

The Royal Australian Air Force A330MRTT platform used for these flight tests is similar in configuration to the solution that Northrop Grumman intends to propose to the US Air Force in response to the KC-X Tanker requirement. The A330 MRTT with 905E pods has also been selected for the UK MoD FSTA programme, the Saudi Arabia Air Force and the United Arab Emirates Air Force.

About Cobham:

Cobham’s products and services have been at the heart of sophisticated military and civil systems for 75 years, keeping people safe, improving communications, and enhancing the capability of land, sea, air and space platforms. The Company has four divisions employing more than 12,000 people on five continents, with customers and partners in over 100 countries and annual revenue of more than £1.4bn / $2.1 billion.

Cobham Mission Equipment is the world market leader for air-to-air Refuelling, providing fourth generation ‘nose to tail’ solutions from the cockpit of the donor aircraft to the tail of the receiver platform. To date, more than 1,000 systems have been delivered for buddy-buddy refuelling and for tactical and strategic tanking for fixed and rotary wing aircraft, with expertise now extended into the development of autonomous UAV to UAV refuelling.

Contacts:

Greg Caires
Julian Wais
Media Relations
Investor Relations

+1 703 414 5319
+44 (0) 1202 857998

greg.caires@cobham.com
julian.wais@cobham.com

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