Sponsored By Oxley Developments
www.oxleygroup.com
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19 Jan 23. 25-Hour Cockpit Voice/Data Recorder is First to Combine Data Acquisition, RIPS, and Integrated Quick Access Recorder.
Designed for use on defense and commercial aircraft, the new Fortress® Crash Survivable Recorder has received UK CAA TSO certification.
Curtiss-Wright’s Defense Solutions division, a leading supplier of flight data recorder solutions engineered to succeed, today announced the industry’s first Cockpit Voice and Flight Data Recorder (CVFDR) to integrate 25-hour Cockpit Voice/Data Recording with data acquisition, a recorder independent power supply (RIPS) and a quick access recorder (QAR) all in a single compact and lightweight unit. The Fortress Crash Survivable Recorder (Fortress CSR) is engineered for defense and commercial applications and is designed to the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) Technical Standard Order (TSO)-C155b. The 200-hour SD card-based integrated QAR function eliminates the need for a separate aircraft LRU, saving system power, weight, and cost while increasing system reliability. The QAR function supports flight data recording, providing the operator with the ability to transfer data to a ground station so that data can be rapidly analyzed by the Military Flight Operations Quality Assurance (MFOQA) ground station analysis software.
The industry-leading Fortress CSR surpasses the requirements of the 2021 EASA minimum 25-hour cockpit voice-recording mandate (EUROCAE Class 6) for aircraft weighing over 27,000 kilograms. Based on Curtiss-Wright’s proven Fortress technology, the new CVFDR features user configurable data acquisition and is ideal for demanding flight data monitoring applications including incident event investigation, crash investigation, structural loads analysis, and safety initiatives such the U.S. Air Force’s MFOQA. It is also well suited for integrating contemporary flight data recording capabilities onto aircraft where none is currently fitted.
Initially developed for use on the T-6 Texan II trainer aircraft used by the U.S. Navy and Air Force, the Fortress CSR provides an easily configurable aircraft/recorder interface that enables the Fortress CSR to be ported across multiple different aircraft platforms.
“Curtiss-Wright continues to lead the industry in bringing extended operation and greater survivability for flight recorders to the military aircraft market, supporting critical flight data monitoring applications such as incident event investigation, crash investigation, structural loads analysis, and MFOQA,” said Chris Wiltsey, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Curtiss-Wright Defense Solutions division. “Our new Fortress crash survivable recorder 25-hour combined cockpit voice and flight data recorder expands the capabilities of a traditional flight recorder while significantly reducing size, weight, and power requirements. It builds on our long legacy of delivering cost-effective, lightweight and compact flight recorders that meet or exceed the latest regulations.”
Developing the Next Generation of Voice and Data Recorders
Curtiss-Wright’s Fortress CSR is a form-fit-function upgrade to the existing ½ ATR short flight recording system utilized on the T-6 Texan II. It protects parametric flight data and 3 channels of voice communications and 1 channel ambient cockpit sound to crash conditions in accordance with the ED-112A standard. In addition to serving as a combined CVR/FDR flight recorder, Fortress CSR also provides data acquisition and real time data processing used for post-flight analysis. Supported by the PGS Analysis ground replay system, the Fortress CSR is currently used in flight safety and pilot training programs, including the U.S. Air Force’s MFOQA, and applications such as Aircraft Structural Integrity (ASIP) and Aircraft Safety Program (ASAP).
Curtiss-Wright has a long heritage in designing and manufacturing flight data recorders. Developed by the originator of the first combined cockpit voice/flight data recorder, this family of innovative recorders is designed to meet and exceed EUROCAE ED-112A, FAA TSO, UKTSO, and EASA ETSO requirements. The Fortress family of recorders is ideal for a wide range of aircraft platforms, including helicopters, airliners, UAVs, executive and military aircraft. Housed in a compact rugged unit, the new recorders are hard-mountable for fast, easy installation.
About Curtiss-Wright Corporation
Curtiss-Wright Corporation (NYSE:CW) is a global integrated business that provides highly engineered products, solutions and services mainly to Aerospace & Defense markets, as well as critical technologies in demanding Commercial Power, Process and Industrial markets. Headquartered in Davidson, North Carolina, the company leverages a workforce of 8,000 highly skilled employees who develop, design and build what we believe are the best engineered solutions to the markets we serve. Building on the heritage of Glenn Curtiss and the Wright brothers, Curtiss-Wright has a long tradition of providing innovative solutions through trusted customer relationships. For more information, visit www.curtisswright.com.
17 Jan 23. Xanadu and Rolls-Royce to build quantum computing tools with PennyLane. Xanadu, the world leader in photonic quantum computing, and Rolls-Royce are co-developing new quantum algorithm tooling for PennyLane, Xanadu’s open-source quantum computing software widely used for quantum machine learning, chemistry, and optimization.
Xanadu and Rolls-Royce are committed to advancing the field of quantum computing, studying its potential to solve complex problems and building tools with lasting business impact. The first project will develop quantum software functionality tailored for Quantum Singular Value Transformation, or QSVT, in PennyLane to help Rolls-Royce accelerate its research into quantum algorithms for aerospace applications. QSVT is a modern paradigm for quantum algorithms that enables innovative methods for employing quantum computers to explore a variety of problems of interest.
Rolls-Royce, a leader in aerospace and defence, is actively involved in long-term quantum computing research aimed at developing robust algorithms and applications that are ready for the fault-tolerant quantum computers expected over the next decade. Quantum computing is a potentially disruptive technology for the aerospace industry with a wide range of applications from materials chemistry to product design using computational fluid dynamics (CFD). Rolls-Royce is committed to achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 and has recently successfully tested a hydrogen powered gas turbine in collaboration with EasyJet. Quantum computers, which aim to drastically out-perform classical ones, are expected to play a key role in meeting aerospace’s climate goals.
“We are proud to partner with Rolls-Royce on this project,” said Dr. Juan Miguel Arrazola, Head of Algorithms at Xanadu. “Rolls-Royce is a world-class engineering company with deep expertise in complex simulations; their support will be invaluable in guiding our design and implementation for PennyLane, which we hope will help accelerate research into improving quantum algorithms.”
“We are excited to be working with Xanadu on our quantum computing journey,” said Dr. Leigh Lapworth, Rolls-Royce Fellow and Quantum Computing Lead. “They have demonstrated rapid advancements in scaling up photonic quantum computers and have built an impressive software library in PennyLane. The focus on QSVT is a natural fit for us as it extends our research beyond CFD and I look forward to running our first case on a Xanadu computer.”
About Xanadu
Xanadu is a Canadian quantum computing company with the mission to build quantum computers that are useful and available to people everywhere. Founded in 2016, Xanadu has become one of the world’s leading quantum hardware and software companies. The company also leads the development of PennyLane, an open-source software library for quantum computing and application development. Visit www.xanadu.ai or follow us on Twitter @XanaduAI.
About PennyLane
PennyLane is an open-source software framework for quantum machine learning, quantum chemistry, and quantum computing with the ability to run on all hardware. To find out more, visit the PennyLane website (www.pennylane.ai), or check out the PennyLane demos: a gallery of hands-on quantum computing content (https://pennylane.ai/qml/demonstrations.html). (Source: PR Newswire)
17 Jan 23. Teal Drones Partners with Immervision to Enhance Low-Light Navigation. Red Cat Holdings, Inc., a military technology company that integrates robotic hardware and software to provide critical situational awareness and actionable intelligence to on-the-ground warfighters and battlefield commanders, has announced an important new partnership.
Opening day of the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Nevada, brought the announcement that Teal Drones, a Red Cat subsidiary, has partnered with leading Canadian optical products manufacturer Immervision, whose latest navigation camera module is used for surveillance and unmanned systems. Immervision will provide Teal’s flagship drone with exceptional low-light capabilities – capabilities that Immervision demonstrated at CES.
Teal said that the new model of its Golden Eagle drone, now under development, will be equipped with two Immervision low-light camera modules. In addition to enhancing autonomous navigation at night and in other light-denied situations, such as in fog, beneath bridges and inside buildings, having two cameras provides stereoscopic vision to Teal’s autonomous pilot system. This enables the drone to create a 3D map it can use to navigate and locate itself geographically in low-light situations and in areas where a GPS signal is not available.
“The lens is designed to maximize the concentration of light per pixel on the image sensor to provide the best image quality in low-light conditions, across the complete field of view,” said Jean-Sébastien Landry, Immervision director of product management. “Our camera module has been designed from the ground up to address the challenging requirements of operating safely in low-light conditions where other sensors are inefficient. It is capable of seeing objects in a dark environment at 1 lux, which is equivalent to deep twilight.”
Ryan Kier, a senior electrical engineer at Teal who conducted independent tests to determine the best-performing low-light camera for Teal’s new drone, said the Immervision camera was “easily two times better than the nearest competitor.”
Teal is integrating the new Immervision camera with its software system to enhance the Golden Eagle’s autonomous flying capabilities. These include avoiding obstacles and taking off and landing without pilot assistance, as well as automatically generating a 3D map and locating itself on it without the benefit of a GPS signal.
“Our objective with Teal is to create the ultimate small unmanned vehicle for military and security use,” said Red Cat CEO Jeff Thompson. “We’re doing that by designing and manufacturing a highly reliable, easy-to-use drone platform to which can be added capabilities that warfighters and others on the frontlines need.”
“Because most military operations happen at night, having a low-light solution is a key capability for Teal, and we are very pleased to partner with Immervision to make this possible. Between this new development and other nighttime-focused capabilities on the horizon, Teal’s new model will be the go-to small drone that defense and security forces will turn to when they need to ‘Dominate the Night’,” Thompson added.
Both Teal and Immervision are certified as “Blue UAS,” a designation awarded to manufacturers authorized to provide equipment to the U.S. military. Teal is also one of only three drone manufacturers invited to participate in the U.S. Army’s Short Range Reconnaissance Tranche 2 (SRR T2). The ultimate goal of the SRR T2 program is to provide a rucksack-portable, small unmanned aircraft system (sUAS) that gives fighters situational awareness beyond the next terrain feature.
(Source: UAS VISION)
16 Jan 23. DIN calls for defence problem statements. The Sydney based Defence Innovation Network (DIN) invites industry and Defence to help identify defence-relevant R&D problems. Selected problems will be discussed at the DIN’s Sandpit Workshop in March and will be used in the call for proposals via DIN’s Pilot Project grant program. Successful teams will get funded for up to $150K.
Problem statements are due by 20 February 2023.
Interested parties can submit an entry here: https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=JhyR6J_PnEqHjlJ4B76HkZDAy13ivzpEnLBI_PtWNOJUQzFHNDlGMlZJSlgyTk0xMjY2NDQ0NDU4My4u
(Source: Rumour Control)
16 Jan 23. L3Harris’ Off-the-Shelf Flight Recorder System Provides Immediate Cost-Saving, Compliant Solution for Light Aircraft and Helicopters.
- Provides essential and recommended ED-155 flight, inertial, air and position data parameters
- Reduces time, installation and certification costs to meet mandates and recommendations
- Delivers operators essential data to enhance pilot safety and operational efficiency
L3Harris Technologies’ (NYSE:LHX) announced the availability of its off-the-shelf cohesive flight data recorder system for light aircraft and helicopters that meets the European Union Aviation Safety Agency’s ED-155 mandate.
The L3Harris integrated solution, composed of the L3Harris EFD-750 Standby connected to the L3Harris lightweight data recorder (LDR), significantly reduces installation, maintenance and service time and expenses by eliminating the need to integrate, wire, test and connect numerous systems to an ED-155 certified recorder.
“Aircraft and helicopters must be able to transmit required ED-155 parameters to a certified, lightweight flight recorder,” said Alan Crawford, President, L3Harris Commercial Aviation. “Our integrated solution simplifies installation using proven best-in-class products that enhance pilot safety, exceed recorder data parameter recommendations, and save manufacturers and operators time and expense.”
The advanced and configurable EFD-750 is an essential back-up display presenting airspeed, altitude, attitude and slip data with options for heading and navigation, enhancing pilot situational awareness and safety. The L3Harris LDR is a small, lightweight ED-155 certified recorder providing crash-protected recording of audio, image and flight data.
Paired with the aircraft’s global positioning antenna, the L3Harris integrated solution provides all essential and recommended flight, inertial, air data and position parameters recommended by the International Civil Aviation Organization’s ED-155 specifications defined for light weight aircraft recorders and can be installed as a line-fit or retrofit solution.
Operators can quickly access and download images, video and data parameters using a web browser, providing actionable information for preventive maintenance, flight data management, operations quality assurance and safety risks using L3Harris or third-party flight data analytics programs.
The European Union Aviation Safety Agency ED-155 mandate for capturing essential flight data parameters took effect this year for forward-fit light helicopters and general aviation aircraft. Several other global aviation safety and security agencies are recommending or proposing similar mandates.(Source: ASD Network)
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Oxley Group Ltd
Oxley offer a range of Military Marine NVG friendly LED lighting that includes navigation lights and controls, flight deck landing lights and interior compartment lighting. Our lighting products are used by Navies around the world including our own Royal Navy on UK Aircraft Carriers, Canadian Frigates, Swedish Submarines, Australian Surface vessels and Submarines, on board French Naval Carriers and in Naval Gun Turrets.
https://oxleydevelopments.cmail20.com/t/t-l-cdhkulk-yujhutkljd-r/
The technology is extremely energy efficient and built robustly, with proven long life. The lighting is NVG friendly, dimmable and programmable to allow for operations with aircraft pilots using military night vision goggles. They offer superior design giving high reliability for the most demanding environments with high sealing and the ability to meet the most stringent EMC standards.
https://oxleydevelopments.cmail20.com/t/t-l-cdhkulk-yujhutkljd-y/
Oxley are proud to say that we are working in partnership with SeaKing to enable a control panel to be offered with our LED Navigation Lighting. All of Oxley navigation lights have been specifically developed for vessels over 50 metres.
Contact Marcus Goad on 07850 917 263 for more information or to arrange samples.
Oxley specialises in the design and manufacture of advanced electronic and electro-optic components and systems for air, land and sea applications within the military sector. Established in 1942, Oxley has manufacturing facilities in the UK and USA and enjoys representation worldwide. The company’s products include night vision and LED lighting, data capture systems and electronic components. Oxley has pioneered the development of night vision compatible lighting. It offers a total package incorporating optical filters, equipment modification, cockpit and external lighting along with fleet wide upgrade services including engineering, installation, support, maintenance and training. The company’s long experience of manufacturing night vision lighting and LED indicators, coupled with advances in LED technology, has enabled it to develop LED solutions to replace incandescent and fluorescent lighting in existing applications as well as becoming the lighting option of choice in new applications such as portable military hospitals, UAV control stations and communication shelters.
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