aerospace america november 2010

2010·4.9 MB·English

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AIR FORCE TECHNOLOGY
CHANGE on the horizon
Hayabusa makes a triumphant return
X-37B wings into space
A PUBLICATION OF THE AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF AERONAUTICS AND ASTRONAUTICS
10-0527
With NeW representatives, NeW goals, and NeW priorities in
Washington, D.C., taking part in the 2011 Congressional Visits Day Program
is more important than ever. Come to D.C., and share your passion for aerospace.
Let your representatives hear how vital our community is to our national and
economic security, and take an active role in helping shape the future
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On Wednesday, 16 March, AIAA members will share their passion about
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Join us as we meet with legislators to discuss the importance of science,
engineering, and technology to our national security and prosperity.
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To register for AIAA Congressional Visits Day 2011
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at [email protected] or 703.264.7558
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November2010
DEPARTMENTS
Page4
COMMENTARY 3
TheGreeningofaviation:Anothercontext.
INTERNATIONALBEAT 4
Europechartspathtosixth-generationfighter.
WASHINGTONWATCH 8
Thewaitinggame.
CONVERSATIONS 11
WithMarkClough.
Page16
ENGINEERINGNOTEBOOK 14
Futuristicaircraft:Old-fashionedlookisonlyskindeep.
OUTOFTHEPAST 40
CAREEROPPORTUNITIES 42
VIEWPOINT
COMBININGSAFETYANDSURVIVABILITYFORFUTURESPACEFARING 16
Combiningsurvivabilityconceptsofmilitaryaircraftdesignwiththesafety
disciplineofthespaceflightcommunitycanleadtosaferspacetravel.
byRobertE.Ball Page8
FEATURES
HAYABUSA’SROUND-TRIPTOANASTEROID 22
Afteratroubledjourney,Hayabusahadaperfectreentryanddelivered
apayloadthatmayholdsurprises.
byLeonardDavid
AIRFORCETECHNOLOGY:CHANGEONTHEHORIZON 28
TwodecadesoftechnologyadvanceswillradicallychangetheAirForce
anditssystems,aswellastheirhumanoperators.
byJamesW.Canan
AIRFORCEX-37BWINGSINTOSPACE 34
Afterdecadesinthe“wildblueyonder,”AirForcewingsarefinallyflying
wheretheblueskyturnstoblack.
byCraigCovault
BULLETIN
AIAAMeetingSchedule B2
AIAACoursesandTrainingProgram B4
AIAANews B5
MeetingProgram B15
Page28
COVER
TheUSAFreportTechnologyHorizonsdescribesanAirForcetransformedbynewtechnologies.Foralookatwhatthosechanges Page34
maybe,turntothestoryonpage28.Copyright©UniversityCorporationforAtmosphericResearch.PhotobyCarlyeCalvin.
AerospaceAmerica(ISSN0740-722X)ispublishedmonthly,exceptAugust,bytheAmericanInstituteofAeronauticsandAstronautics,Inc.at1801AlexanderBellDrive,Reston,Va.20191-4344
[703/264-7577].Subscriptionrateis50%ofduesforAIAAmembers(andisnotdeductibletherefrom).Nonmembersubscriptionprice:U.S.andCanada,$163,foreign,$200.Singlecopies$20each.
Postmaster:Sendaddresschangesandsubscriptionorderstoaddressabove,attentionAIAACustomerService,703/264-7500.PeriodicalpostagepaidatHerndon,VA,and
atadditionalmailingoffices.Copyright©2010bytheAmericanInstituteofAeronauticsandAstronautics,Inc.,allrightsreserved.ThenameAerospaceAmericaisregisteredbytheAIAAinthe
U.S.PatentandTrademarkOffice.40,000copiesofthisissueprinted.ThisisVolume48,No.10.
“I launched an Estes Astron
Scout – I saw the smoke trail
go up in the air and thought
it was cool. Suddenly for
the first time I could
see how fins were
angles, nose cones
were parabolas.
Geometry had
value now and
I loved it.”
David Newill
AIAA Associate Fellow
In fascinating new videos, AIAAA mmeemmbbeerrss rreeccall
the moment when aeerroossppaaccee ccaappttuurred
Share the Inspiration
their imagination. Share yyoouurr ssttoorryy ttoooo,, aand
spread the passioonn ffoorr aaeerroossppaace.
www.aiaa.org///MMMyStory
www.aiaa.org/MyStory
09-0124_WDYK_AA_mar.indd 1 2/25/09 10:48:27 AM
nov.comment.qxd:AA Template 10/14/10 9:53 AM Page 1
®
isapublicationoftheAmericanInstitute
ofAeronauticsandAstronautics
ElaineJ.Camhi
Editor-in-Chief
Thegreeningofaviation:Anothercontext
PatriciaJefferson
AssociateEditor
GregWilson
ProductionEditor
Muchemphasishasbeenplacedinrecentyearsonthegreeningofaviation.
JerryGrey,Editor-at-Large
Theprimaryfocushasbeenonreducinggreenhouse-gasemissions,most
ChristineWilliams,EditorAIAABulletin
notablycarbondioxide.Buttheburgeoningeffortsinthisdirectionhaveanother
Correspondents “greening”effect:thesavingof“greenbacks.”
RobertF.Dorr,Washington
InJuly1999,Iwrotewhatmightbeviewedasanobituaryforgovernmental
PhilipButterworth-Hayes,Europe
supportofaeronauticsR&D:“InFY99,bothhigh-speedresearch(HSR)and
MichaelWestlake,HongKong
advancedsubsonictechnology(AST)wereessentiallyzeroed,leavingayawning
ContributingWriters gapinthetechnologiestheysupported.ThentheDODclosedoutitseffortsin
RichardAboulafia,JamesW.Canan,
hypersonicresearch.Theseactions,alongwiththenow-decimatedresearchand
MarcoCáceres,CraigCovault,Philip
technology(R&T)base,leavevirtuallynosupportforadvancedU.S.aeronautics
Finnegan,EdFlinn,TomJones,David
Rockwell,FrankSietzen,J.R.Wilson technologydevelopment.”
Butnowthenewfocusonenvironmentalimpactshasrevitalizedaeronautics
FitzgeraldArt&Design
R&D.NASA’sEnvironmentallyResponsibleAviation(ERA)program,aimedat
ArtDirectionandDesign
technologiesanddesignsthatcouldbeimplementedduringthenext25years,
CraigByl,ManufacturingandDistribution isdevelopingadvancedaeronauticaltechnologiesandnoveldesignsthatgowell
MarkLewis,President
beyondthoseenvisionedbytheoldHSRandASTprograms.Theseincludenew
RobertS.Dickman,Publisher
aircraftconfigurationssuchasthehybridwing-bodyforBoeing-777-classaircraft,
highlyintegratedairframe-propulsionconcepts,advancedengineconcepts
STEERINGCOMMITTEE
MichaelB.Bragg,UniversityofIllinois; suchasathree-shaftturbofanandaturbine-electrichybrid,integratedcomposite
PhilipHattis,DraperLaboratory;MarkS. structures,activeaeroservoelasticcontrols,andespeciallythelong-soughtholy
Maurice,AFOSR;LauraMcGill,Raytheon; grailofdragreduction,laminarflowcontrol(LFC).UndertheERAprogram
MerriSanchez,NationalAeronauticsand LFChasfinallybeenbroughtwithinreachinpracticalaircrafthardware.
SpaceAdministration;MarySnitch,Lockheed
Combinationsofthesetechnologiesareprojectedtoproducenotonlymarked
Martin;DavidW.Thompson,Orbital
reductionsinemissions,butfuel-burnsavingsofupto70%.AndtheERA
EDITORIALBOARD program’saggressiveenvironmentalgoalshaveevenspurredtwodesignsfor
100-seatsupersonicairliners,circa2030-2035.
NedAllen,LockheedMartinAeronautics;
Jean-MichelContant,EADS;Eugene TheNextGenairtrafficmanagementsystembeingimplementedbythe
Covert,MassachusettsInstituteofTechnology; FAArepresentsanotheravenue—aircraftoperations—forimprovingaviation
L.S.“Skip”Fletcher,TexasA&MUniversity; economics,alongwithbigenvironmentalbenefits.“Tailoredarrivals”and4D
MichaelFrancis,UnitedTechnologies; trajectoryoperations(threespatialdimensionsplustime)canachievehuge
ChristianMari,Teuchos;CamMartin,
fuelsavings.Finally,thesubstantialreplacementofpetroleum-basedfuelsby
NASADryden;DonRichardson,Donrich
alternativefuelsderivedfromagriculturalandmunicipalwastesandcropsthat
Research;DouglasYazell,Honeywell
donotimpingeonfoodproduction(suchasalgae,camelina,salicornia,and
ADVERTISING jatropha)isfinallyimminent:Approvalofblendsusingupto50%ofthesefuels
NationalDisplayandClassified: isexpectedshortly.Thebenefitsofalternativefuelsgowellbeyondthatof
RobertSilverstein,240.498.9674 fuel-burncostreduction,byreducingU.S.dependenceonforeignoilimports.
[email protected] Europetooismovingaggressivelyincost-reductionmeasuresthatderive
WestCoastDisplay:GregCruse, fromreducingenvironmentalimpact.TheSmartFixedWingAircraftprogram
949.361.1870/[email protected]
willflya“smart”wingwithpassiveandactivelaminarflowandloadcontroland
willdemonstratepropulsion-empennageintegrationwithopen-rotorengines.
SendmaterialstoCraigByl,AIAA,1801
FutureEuropeanthrustsincludeliquid-crystalpolymerfibers(strength/weight
AlexanderBellDrive,Suite500,Reston,VA
20191-4344.Changesofaddressshouldbe ratiostenfoldhigherthansteel),the“ClaireLiner,”whoseboxwing-empennage
senttoCustomerServiceatthesameaddress, integrationand“dolphin”bodyshapesubstantiallyincreaselift-to-dragratios,
[email protected],orbyfaxat hypersonics,andsolar-poweredaircraft.
703.264.7606. Manyhavearguedthatsinceaviationgeneratesonly2%ofanthropometric
SendLetterstotheEditortoElaineCamhi
greenhousegasemissionsworldwide,effortstoreducethatsmallcontribution
[email protected]
evenfurtherarenotreallynecessary.Buttheancillarybenefits—boththe
November2010,Vol.48,No.10 significantcostsavingsthatcanberealizedandespeciallytherevitalizationof
governmentresearchinaeronautics—areverygoodreasonsforpursuingthe
greeningofaviation.
JerryGrey
Editor-at-Large
BEATlayout.qxd:AA Template 10/14/10 9:56 AM Page 2
Newbatteries,fuelcellsenergize
electricaviation
ONSEPTEMBER2,THEFOUR-ENGINEDALL-
electric Cri-Cri aerobatic flying testbed
tooktotheskiesforthefirsttimeabove
ParisLeBourgetAirport.Theprojectis
partofajointeffortbyEADSInnovation
Works,AeroCompositesSaintonge,and
theGreenCri-CriAssociation.
For EADS, Cri-Cri is an important
testbed for emerging electric propulsion
technologies such as unmanned aircraft
engines, auxiliary power units, and hy-
brid (half electric/half diesel) helicopter
propulsion.Theseconceptsarebeingre-
searchedaspartofthecompany’sEco2-
Aviaprogram.
In the initial stage of the trials, the
keyissuewillbetounderstandthether-
mal management issues of all-electric
propulsion. Says Emmanuel Joubert,
who heads the project, “We need to
AtParisLeBourgetonSeptember2,theCri-Criall-electricflyingtestbedtooktotheskies
checkduringtheentiremissionthetem-
forthefirsttime.
perature of all-electrical components.
Forthatwehavedevelopedspecificsoft-
wareandpanelinstruments....Forexam- enable researchers to see how distribut- development work on electrically driven
ple, we can follow in real time the tem- ing the mass of the propulsion and en- aircraft has come from the light and ex-
perature of batteries, with the LED ergy storage units around the airframe perimental aircraft community in the
switchonorangewhenthetemperature mightobviatetheneedforasinglelarge, U.S.Inrecentyears,however,European
isatitslimits,andredwhenitiscritical.” heavy engine and battery—with the at- designershavealsobeeninvestingheav-
Overthenextfewmonths,theteam tendantweight,balance,anddragissues ilyinthisarea.
will test new battery management sys- itbrings.Thisresearchhasalsobeenun- Thepastfewyearshaveseenaslow
tems to see how they can be integrated dertakenbyCambridgeUniversity. but steady evolution of electrically pow-
withotherelectricalcomponentsinways “This aircraft flies very smoothly, ered sport aircraft, from ultralights to
that keep them at optimal temperatures much more quietly than a plane with powered gliders, from powered gliders
duringallphasesofflight. conventional propulsion,” notes Didier to light sport aircraft (LSA)—where we
Esteyne, who piloted the all-electric Cri- are now—with another evolutionary
Adifferentbreed Cri. “But we are still at the beginning move to Cessna 172-size aircraft ex-
WhatmakestheCri-Crislightlydifferent and have a lot to learn. We are allowed pectedduringthenext10years.
fromotherelectricaircraftconceptsisits tostartaerobaticmaneuversonlyafter5 Further accelerating the technology
performanceintheair:30minofauton- hrofflightand15landings.” boostintoelectricallypoweredaircraftis
omous cruise flight at 110 km/hr, 15 the involvement of companies such as
minofautonomousaerobaticsatspeeds Longevolution EADS and Boeing, whose focus is on
reaching250km/hr,andaclimbrateof Electricallypoweredpilotedaircrafthave something very different from the light
approximately 5.3 m/sec. Until now, been around for some time. On April aircraft enthusiast market: Apart from
most electrically powered aircraft have 29, 1979, the Solar Riser, designed by virtually zero carbon dioxide emissions,
been motorized gliders, but the Cri-Cri LarryMauro,madetheworld’sfirstoffi- electrically propelled aircraft have two
willallowitsdesignerstotestwhetheran cial flight in a solar-powered, fully con- other key benefits, with obvious military
electric aircraft can perform maneuvers trolled man-carrying flying machine, an implications—very low noise levels and
and operations that a conventional air- ultralight hang-glider. The craft rose to insignificantinfraredsignatures.
craftcannot. 40ftandflewforabouthalfamile.The There are, broadly, three means of
TheCri-Cri’sunusualdesignwillalso impetusformuchoftheearlydesignand providing electric propulsion: battery
4 AEROSPACEAMERICA/NOVEMBER2010
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power,solarpower,andfuelcells,often provedperformance.Lithium-basedbat-
used in combination. Boeing Research teriesarelighterthanconventionalunits
&TechnologyEuropeinMadridflewits becausetheyhavenoanodesandhavea
first electrically powered aircraft, which muchhigherenergydensity.
had both hydrogen fuel cells and batter- In Asia, work on advanced battery
ies,inApril2003.Duringtheclimb,the technologiesiswellunderway.Thiscon-
aircraft used a combination of battery trasts with the U.S., which accounts for
and fuel-cell power but cruised on fuel- just 1% of the total global lithium-ion
cellpoweralone.Flighttimewasgener- battery production, according to the
ally about 30 min, with 20 min devoted U.S. National Alliance for Advanced
to the fuel-cell demonstration. The fuel Transportation Batteries, or NAATBatt.
cellhadapproximately10minofmargin Thisrecentlyformedgroupworriesthat
beyondthe20minplannedforthetests, U.S. industry is falling behind its global
whichhavebeencompleted. competitorsinthisarena.
Technological improvements in all TheexperimentalaircraftSolarImpulse, Thedemandfornew,advancedbat-
withpilotAndreBorschbergonboard,
three areas of fuel storage/generation teriesisgrowing.TheHighAltitudeAir-
fliesatsunriseabovePayerne'sSwiss
areaccelerating. ship under development by Lockheed
airbaseonJuly8duringthehistoric
firstround-the-clockflightfueledonlyby Martin for DARPA in the U.S. will fea-
Solarflightatnight solarpower.AFPphoto/FabriceCoffrini. ture a 40-kWh lithium-ion battery to
In September, the solar-powered, Swit- store power from 15-kW thin-film solar
zerland-based Solar Impulse HB-SIA arrays.Thesewillgenerateallpowerre-
completed a 26-hr flight powered only aircraftthatperformslikeaconventional quired on-station and store it for use by
by solar energy. According to the com- CessnaorPiper. the payload (up to 50 lb) and the 2-kW
pany, “The success of this first night “Today’stechnologyallowsarealistic lightweightall-electricpropulsionunits.
flightbyasolar-poweredplaneiscrucial one hour of flying only,” according to Lithium-ion batteries are also at the
for the further course of the Solar Im- Oliver Reinhardt, technical director of heart of Sikorsky’s electrically powered
pulse project. Now that the HB-SIA’s advancedgeneralaviationenginemanu- S-300C Project Firefly technology dem-
abilitytoremainflyingatnightusingso- facturers at Flight Design, based in onstrator,announcedatthisyear’sOsh-
lar energy stored during the day has Stuttgart. “The bottleneck is the battery koshAirVenture.Theaircrafthasa190-
been proved, we can start pushing the mass. Today the maximum is around hpelectricmotorreplacingthestandard
human and technological limits further. 200Whperkilogram;wewouldneedin piston-engine and lithium-ion battery
ThenextimportantmilestonesforSolar theoryaround5,200Whperkilogram.” packs. The energy storage system from
Impulse will be the crossing of the At- Further issues that need to be ad- German manufacturer GAIA consists of
lantic and the around-the-world flight, dressed are the expense of high-density 300cellswithanenergydensityof0.13
using the second prototype, which goes batteries, the requirement for complex kW/kg,addedtoeithersideofthecabin.
intoconstructionthissummer.” controllers to ensure they remain cool, Sikorsky says initially the Firefly’s flight
The aircraft comprises 12,000 pho- andacomplexchargingcycle.Onesolu- timerangewillbejust15min,compared
tovoltaic cells, covering 200 m2, with tionistodevelophybridengineversions, toover3hrfortheconventionalequiva-
12% total efficiency for the propulsion and the company is working on a lent. But as battery capacities increase
chain. The HB-SIA’s motors generate lithium-ion battery-powered electric mo- andweightsdecline,thiswillimproveex-
just8hp,or6kW,ofpower(aroundthe torincombinationwithaRotax914en- ponentially.
sameoutputasthatoftheWrightbroth- gine,withthebatteryandelectricmotor Atcurrentratesofprogress,lithium-
ers’ first flyer in 1903). Generated elec- boostingthepoweroftheRotaxengine based battery technology is doubling in
tricityisstoredinbatteriesweighing400 ontakeoff. efficiency every seven years, according
kg, more than a quarter of the aircraft’s tosomeindustryexperts.
mass. Motors and batteries are fitted in Aliftforlithium-basedbatteries
fourpodsunderthewings.Thebatteries Driven by billions of dollars’ worth of Fasttrackforfuelcells
are polymer lithium units consisting of funding for research into environmen- Fuel cell storage/generation is also im-
70 accumulators, with a management tally friendly automobile performance, proving. According to researchers at
system controlling the charge threshold battery efficiencies are improving every Boeing,PEM(polymerelectrolytemem-
andtemperature. year.Inparticular,thedevelopmentofa brane)fuelcelltechnologycouldeventu-
new generation of lithium-ion batteries, allypowersmallmannedandunmanned
Alongwaytogo which can increase energy and power aircraft,whilesolidoxidefuelcellscould
It will, however, be a huge leap from a densities by a factor of two to four, will be applied to secondary power-generat-
motorized glider to an electric four-seat open the way to units with greatly im- ingsystemssuchasauxiliarypowerunits
AEROSPACEAMERICA/NOVEMBER2010 5
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forlargecommercialairplanes.
DIESELANDELECTRICITYROTORCRAFTPOWER
A fuel cell is an electrochemical en-
EADSInnovationWorksisdevelopingadiesel-electrichybridproof-of-concepthelicopterpropulsion
system.ElectricalmotorsincombinationwithOPOC(opposedpiston,opposedcylinder)dieselen- ergy converter that mixes fuel and oxy-
ginesdrivetherotorsandhaveshownreducedfuelconsumptionandemissionratesofupto50%, gen from air to produce electricity.
accordingtothecompany.Takeoffsandlandingsarepossibleonelectricalpoweralone,resultingin Whenthefuelishydrogen,theonlyby-
lowernoiselevelsandimprovedflightsafety. productsarewaterandheat.InEurope,
SaysEADS,“Themaincomponentsofthishybridsystemaremultiplediesel-electricmotor-gener- the drive for cleaner transport solutions
atorunits,apairofhigh-performancebatteries,andapowerelectronicsunitcontrollingtheenergy has sparked massive investment in fuel
flowsforbestefficiency.TheOPOCdieselengines,designedandbuiltbyEcoMotorsInternationalin
cellresearch.
theU.S.,offerafueleconomyimprovementofupto30%comparedtotoday’shelicopterturbine
The Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint
engines.
Technology initiative will see national
“TheOPOCengine’spoweroutputshaftsarefittedwithadvanced,weight-optimizedgenera-
governments,theEU,andindustrypart-
torsdeliveringelectricalcurrenttoapowerelectronicsunit,whichmanagesthedistributionofthe
electricitytotheelectricalmotorsdrivingthemainrotorandthetailrotoraswellastheotheruser nersplanforaninvestmentofnearly€1
systemsonthehelicopter.High-performancebatteriescanstoresufficientenergytoenabletheheli- billioninnewfuelcellconceptsoversix
coptertotakeoffandclimborapproachandlandonelectricalpoweralone.” years. Although this research aims
mainlyattheautomotiveandstationary
electricity storage markets, it is highly
likely there will be aerospace applica-
MAJORCURRENTELECTRICALLYDRIVENPILOTEDAIRCRAFTPROGRAMS tions.“TheactivitiesoftheJU[jointun-
AerolaAlatus-ME dertaking] will help to reduce time to
OnJanuary10,2009,theAerolaelectricallypoweredAlatus-MEgliderflewforthefirsttime.Thecompany
market for hydrogen and fuel cell tech-
isbasedinUkraine.ItsElectraviaenginedelivers26hpandispoweredbyalithium-polymerbattery.
nologies by between two and five years
APAMEElectra and will therefore have a faster impact
APAME(AssociationpourlaPromotiondesAéronefsàMotorisationÉlectrique),basedinSt.Pierre onimprovingenergyefficiency,security
d’Argençon,France,flewitsElectraF-WMDJonDecember23,2007.Ithasanelectricalengineof25cv of supply, and reducing greenhouse
(capacitancevoltage)andlithium-polymerbatteries. gases and pollution,” according to the
ByeEnergy/Cessna JUobjectives.
InJuly,CessnaAircraftannouncedthatitiscollaboratingwithByeEnergy(Englewood,Colo.)todesign This year Lange Research Aircraft
anddevelopanelectricpropulsionsystemforaCessna172proof-of-conceptaircraft. and the DLR(German Aerospace Cen-
ter) began test flight work on aviation
Flightstare-Spyder
fuel cell performance using the Antares
Thee-SpyderultralightfeaturesaYuneecpowersystemthatisavailablein10,20,40,and60kW,allowing
DLR-H2 flying testbed, which demon-
ittofly40minontwolithium-polymerbatteries.ThecompanyisbasedinSouthWoodstock,Conn.
strated a range of 700 km and a dura-
ElectraFlyer-X tionof5hr.
TheElectraFlyer-Xisatwo-seaterbasedontheElectraflyer-Cultralight.Thefirst -Xwillhavea20-hp
Thenextstageofworkwillbetofly
(15-kW)engineandtwolithium-polymerbatteries.ElectraFlyer-CisaconvertedMonnetMonimotor
a new, more capable aircraft in 2011,
glider;thecompanyisbasedinCliffsidePark,N.J.
the Antares H3, to a range of up to
LangeAviationAntares20E 6,000 km, for an endurance of more
TheAntares20Emotorglider(Zweibrücken,Germany)electricenginehasbeencertificatedbythe than 50 hr, with payloads of up to 200
EuropeanAviationSafetyAgencyfortheverylightaircraftclass,whichcoversvehiclesthathavea kg. The aircraft will use four external
maximummassof750kgandcancarrytwopeople.Theengine,a42-kWDC/DCbrushlessmotorcalled
pods to house fuel cells and fuel. The
EM42,ispoweredbylithium-ionbatteries.
aim is to develop an aircraft capable of
PC-AeroElektraOne bothpilotedandunmannedoperations.
Thesingle-pilotElektraOneultralightisbeingbuilttoflyfor3hr.Thecompany,basedinLandsbergam
Lech,Germany,hastwo-andfour-seatversionsindevelopment. (cid:1)(cid:1)(cid:1)
Slowly but steadily, improvements in
SonexAircraft
TheSonex(Oshkosh,Wis.)e-flightprogramistodevelopapracticalandaffordableaircraftbasedona electric propulsion are feeding into the
proof-of-conceptcraftpositionedbetweenthecompany’sXenoselectricallydrivenmotor-gliderand mainstream aerospace industry—from
conventionallypoweredsportaircraft,basedona55-kW(74-hp)brushlessmotorenginepowerplant. below,viathelightsportsaircraftenthu-
siast community, and above, via ad-
SkySparkAlpi300
vanced, long-endurance UAS research.
TheItaliantwo-seatSkySparkAlpi300flewwitha75-kW(101-hp)brushlesselectricmotorpoweredby
Thespeedwithwhichtheseaircraftma-
lithium-polymerbatteries,achievingaworldrecordof250kph(155mph)forahuman-carryingelectricair-
craftonJune2009.Theteamofresearchersisnowworkingonanenginepoweredbyhydrogenfuelcells. turewilldependtoalargeextentonim-
provementsinfuelcellandbatterytech-
YuneecE430
nology—areas of major investment for
TheE430,announcedin2009,hasflownextensively.Thisall-batteryelectrictwo-seaterusesthree
EuropeandAsia.
lithium-polymerbatterypackstoflyfor2hr.Itisregardedbymanyasthemarketleaderforelectric
PhilipButterworth-Hayes
aircraft.Yuneec,basedinShanghai,China,isaimingtosellitsE430frommid-2011.
[email protected]
6 AEROSPACEAMERICA/NOVEMBER2010
!
w
e
N
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09-0252ebks2sdbr2.indd 1 3/19/09 3:21:35 PM
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The waiting game
WHEN FY11 ARRIVED ON OCTOBER 1, two-pronged effort for the DOD is re- Rep.JohnP.Murtha(D-Pa.),lawmakers
Congresshadpassedonlyoneofthe13 solved by late summer. This year, a de- added10AirForceC-17stothebudget
authorization bills that establish funding fenseauthorizationbillfailedtopassthe atacostof$2.5billion.Theservicewill
for more than one-third of the govern- Senate because Democrats tried unsuc- eventually have 223 planes instead of
ment, including most executive branch cessfully to insert two measures that the180itwanted.
agencies, for the next year. The rather doomed the bill—language ending the Thisyear,nolawmakerannounceda
surprising exception was NASA, which “don’t ask, don’t tell” law, known as plantoinsertC-17sintodefenselegisla-
beganthefiscalyearwithitsfundingpri- DADT, which prohibits gays from serv- tion. None was included in the Senate
orities enacted into law—albeit via a ing openly in the military, and the measure that was defeated. Even Rep.
compromisemeasurethatisnotwithout DREAM Act (Development, Relief and Norm Dicks (D-Wash.), disparaged by
controversy. EducationforAlienMinors)Act,provid- critics as “the congressman from Boe-
Although lawmakers are often late ingapathtocitizenshipforyoungillegal ing,”announcedhewouldseeknomore
fulfillingtheircoredutyoffinancinggov- aliensofmilitaryage.Criticssawthelat- C-17s. Dicks replaced Murtha as chair-
ernment,neverbeforehavetheyentered terasabackhandedwayofprovidingthe man of the House defense appropria-
a new fiscal year without approving Pentagonwithanewpoolofyoungpeo- tionssubcommittee.
funds for so many branches of govern- pletosignupasservicemembers;Dept.
ment. To prevent government from of Defense spokesman Eileen Lainez Cutsandchanges
shutting down completely, lawmakers confirmedthatthedepartmentsupports Many in Congress—across party lines—
enacted, and President Barack Obama theDREAMActasarecruitingtool. oppose efforts to cancel work on the
signed, a last-minute continuing resolu- The vote broke down almost along second engine for the JSF, the F136,
tionthatprovidestemporaryFY11fund- partylines,withtwoDemocratsbreaking built by General Electric and its partner,
ingthroughDecember3forallagencies ranks to help Republicans filibuster the Britain’s Rolls-Royce. The administra-
thatreceiveappropriationsfunding.The defense authorization bill. Emotions tionwantsasingleJSFengine,theF135
measure holds most agencies to FY10 were high: Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), fromPratt&Whitney.TheHousevoted
levelsoffundingformostprograms,and who opposes repealing DADT now, ar- again this year to maintain funding for
evenlowerlevelsfortheremainder. gued testily with a reporter over the is- both engines in FY11. The Senate Ap-
DemocratsinCongresssaytheywill sue.RepealhadeasilypassedtheHouse propriationsCommittee,whileparadox-
enactFY11appropriationsbills,butnot of Representatives, but observers now ically calling for a cut in JSF purchases,
before the November 2 elections. Many say even that cannot happen again, as- issued this statement: “The incongru-
in Washington believe that key legisla- suming that the next House will have a ence of the [administration’s] insistence
tion—even,itappears,fordefense—may verydifferentcomposition. on canceling the second engine pro-
be stalled until the post-election, “lame The tally on the defense authoriza- gram, which is a near model program
duck” 111th Congress gives way to the tion is a defeat for the administration. and which most analysts expect would
112th on January 3. The delay would Still,theWhiteHouseandDefenseSec- curtail long-term costs of the entire JSF
require a second continuing resolution. retary Robert Gates are expected to get program, with equal [administration] in-
This is viewed as especially likely if the theirwayintherecurringdebateonthe sistence on the need to fully fund the
electionsbringaboutdramaticchangein C-17 Globemaster III airlifter. The ad- JSFprogram,ishardtorationalize.”
Congress, where it is possible that Re- ministration may even prevail on the Having succeeded in canceling or
publicanswillwrestcontroloftheHouse F136 alternate engine for the F-35 cuttingbacktheF-22Raptorfighter,the
fromtheDemocrats,saymanyWashing- LightningIIJointStrikeFighter. C-17, the Army’s Future Combat Sys-
tonobservers. Over several years, two
Inaction on Capitol Hill is having an successive administrations—
impact on aerospace, especially in the with Gates as secretary of
Dept. of Defense. For the Pentagon, as defense in both—sought to
with other Washington agencies includ- end C-17 production for
ing NASA, each year’s budget requires U.S. forces. Even so, Con-
twoitemsoflegislation:apolicymeasure gressappropriatedfundsfor
calledanauthorizationbill,followedbya 43oftheplanesthattheAir
spending measure called an appropria- Force did not request and
tionsbill. said it did not need. Last TwosuccessiveadministrationshavesoughttoendC-17
In most years, the first half of this year, pushed by the late productionforU.S.forces.
8 AEROSPACEAMERICA/NOVEMBER2010