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05 Nov 07. The latest Typhoon test aircraft IPA6 has made its maiden flight from BAE Systems flight test facility at Warton Aerodrome in Lancashire. The aircraft flown by Typhoon Project Test Pilot, Mark Bowman was airborne for 54 minutes. After the flight Mark commented on the aircraft’s performance: “This first flight of IPA6 represents the beginning of the next chapter in this remarkable aircraft’s life. Whilst the exterior of the aircraft may be familiar, significant changes have taken place ‘inside’ that will take this to the Tranche 2 standard and beyond. From the pilot’s point of view, the new systems worked very well and performance remains simply stunning. This particular aircraft will be worked hard over the coming years to contribute significantly to where we go next in meeting our customers’ requirements and truly reflects all the hard work and dedication from across the Company in getting us to today’s first flight.” The single seat aircraft, called IPA6, is the sixth Instrumented Production Aircraft (IPA) in the Eurofighter Development fleet. The purpose of the aircraft will be to prove the Tranche 2 system design, which features enhanced main mission computers and upgraded equipment to equip Typhoon with the capacity to deliver future air-to-ground and advanced air-to-air capability demands. Steve Greenbank, Systems Delivery Director said, “The first challenge is to test and prove the Tranche 2 system with all its enhanced computing capacity. This will underpin the Type Acceptance process next year leading to the delivery of the first Tranche 2 production aircraft to the four Eurofighter Partner Nations – the UK, Italy, Germany & Spain. Later software releases will progressively then introduce enhanced capability.
05 Nov 07. Trimble announced the availability of two Nomad™ rugged handheld computers: the 800LC and the 800LE. The Nomad 800LE comes with a fully integrated 2 megapixel digital camera and an integrated laser bar code scanner. The Nomad 800LC comes with the built-in digital camera only. Both models include integrated Bluetooth, 802.11, and GPS as well as 1 GB of internal data storage. The Nomad 800LC and the Nomad 800LE are available now. The 800LC is priced at US$2099 MSRP; the 800LE is priced at US$2499 MSRP. Launched in July, the Nomad is Trimble’s most capable rugged handheld computer. It offers class-leading performance with an 806 MHz Marvell PXA320 XScale processor, 128 MB RAM and a hot-swappable rechargeable lithium-ion battery pack. Built-in Bluetooth is standard, with built-in 802.11g wireless communication optional. The Nomad’s touchscreen VGA display is sharp and clear in sunlight, and it presents maps and other graphics-intensive files in better detail than a typical QVGA display. The Nomad also comes with Windows Mobile® 6.0, the latest version of Microsoft’s operating system for mobile devices. As with other Trimble rugged handhelds, the Nomad meets the MIL-STD-810F standard for drops, vibration and temperature extremes. It also comes with an IP67 rating, which means it’s completely sealed against dust and can survive immersion in up to a meter of water for 30 minutes. It weighs just 21 ounces and is shaped to fit comfortably in the user’s hand.
06 Nov 07. Otokar and AM General develop high-protection Cobra . Designs have been drawn up for a radically enhanced version of the Otokar Cobra armoured patrol vehicle, based on AM General’s XM1211 ECV II evolutionary concept vehicle, a growth version of the US Army’s High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV). The US Army has ordered 15 examples of the ECV II, which it is due to start testing at Aberdeen Proving Ground in January 2008. (Source: Jane’s)
11 Nov 07. The Typhoon Combined Test Team (CTT), comprising staff from BAE Systems and the RAF, has successfully completed the first mission to drop a laser guided bomb, scoring a direct hit at the