#northrop grumman proteus

[nocternalrandomness]

Proteus high altitude aircraft over Las Cruces New Mexico - March 15 2002

[piratesexmachine420]

You're right about small, circular windows being strong (sharp corners are stress points for pressure vessels -- that's why every airliner you've ever flown has rounded windows -- and making glass strong enough to pressurize means it has to thick and thus heavy) but I doubt expense is the big factor here.

Like, Scaled Composites are owned by Northrop Grumman. They do defense contracts, and they've been getting money from people like Paul Allen and Richard Branson for years.

Furthermore, expensive custom parts are kind of their whole deal -- they're called Scaled Composites because they're all about custom-fabricated and unconventional composite material airframes. Like, these are the guys who built the Rotary Rocket flight test article. They're not shy for weird window layouts. (I encourage you to look that up if you're unfamiliar with it. Bizarre program.)

Cost might be a factor for their kit aircraft, e.g. the Rutan VariEze, but there's very little in common between a kit aircraft -- something meant to be assembled in one's garage with power tools -- and a high-performance experimental aircraft like Proteus or GlobalFlyer.

Moreover, if cost were the primary factor here you'd think they'd just use fewer windows, but they don't. Look at White Knight or SpaceShipOne -- they're covered in windows. Presumably it's to give the pilots the maximum amount of spatial awareness possible, but it begs the questions of 1) what on Earth it is that they so badly need to see above them and 2) why other small experimental aircraft outfits don't do it.

Those are the questions I'm really driving at.

There must be some reason they do it, but there must also be some reason that e.g. Boom Supersonic or Ryan Aeronautical don't/didn't, and I have no idea what those reasons might be.

Maybe it's just be another weird Burt Rutan quirk, like manual flight controls. IDK.

What is it with Rutan/Scaled aircraft and the swiss cheese windows I wonder

[skyfire85]

FLIGHTLINE: 198 - SCALED COMPOSITES/NORTHROP GRUMMAN MODEL 281 PROTEUS

-The Scaled Composites Proteus high altitude research aircraft. | Photo: NASA

FLIGHTLINE: 198 - SCALED COMPOSITES/NORTHROP GRUMMAN MODEL 281 PROTEUS

Originally intended to act as a high-altitude telecommunications relay, the Proteus has also undertaken various research programs for US government.

The Proteus was conceived by legendary aircraft engineer Burt Rutan for high-altitude, long endurance missions, in particular as a less-expensive alternative to satellites as a telecommunications relay. Such an aircraft would need to be light but very strong, as well as being able to fly with a payload for as long as possible. Rutan's design was, as was typical for him, very unusual. The cylindrical fuselage has two tandem wings, the forewing just aft of the cockpit and the second longer main wing at the rear, just below the two engine pods. Two booms extended aft of the wing, each supporting a vertical stabilizer; there were no horizontal fins. The Model 281, later christened Proteus, is almost entirely an epoxy/carbon fiber composite, resulting in an empty weight of 5,860lbs, impressive for an aircraft that is 56' long and with a wingspan of 77' (with optional wingtips that extend the width to 92'). On the ground, the need to hang equipment pods under the fuselage resulted in long landing gear, with the top of the tails sitting nearly eighteen feet off the ground.

-Orthograph of the Proteus. | Illustration: Dr Dan Saranga

As the original mission called for long endurance, up to eighteen hours at 60,000 feet, the Model 281 was designed to be optionally manned, with either on-board autonomous controls or ground based remote piloting systems guiding the plane. Alternatively, two pilots can fly the plane in the pressurized cockpit. Two Williams FJ44-2 turbofans, each producing 2,300lbf of thrust, propel the Model 281 to a top speed of 313mph, though cruise is a leisurely 219mph at 20,000'. The aircraft was built at Scaled Composites Mojave, California plant, with the maiden flight on 26 July 1998. Flight testing progressed throughout 1999, with the aircraft making an appearance at the Paris Air Show, flying non-stop from Bangor, Maine to France. The Proteus flew daily demonstrations to show off not only the plane, but also the communications technology it was expected to carry.

-The Proteus in Paris, with HyperSpectral Sciences' ARTIS pod slung underneath. | Photo: Scaled Composites

After the Paris show, the Model 281 returned to to the US for the AirVenture show in Oshkosh, were it demonstrated HyperSpectral Science's Airborne Real-Time Imaging (ARTIS) camera pod, which took visual and near-IR images of the crowd, which were then beamed near-instantaneously to monitors on the ground. Afterwards, the plane flew to Mojave to start test flights for the system it was intended to support, Angel Technologies HALO Network, which intended to provide wireless broadband access to metropolitan areas via a series of aircraft. Testing of Angel's project, which included a 14-foot diameter millimeter-wave radar (MMR) dish suspended below the Proteus, began in the Autumn of 1999, and progressed through the summer of 2000. Once the testing concluded and funding was provided, Scaled Technology Works, a subsidiary of Scaled Composites, would have taken over production of the operational HALO aircraft, based on the Proteus, which would then be fitted out by Raytheon. Although the test series proved that the HALO system worked, advances in other technologies, particularly long distance fiber-optic lines, made the project redundant.

-The Proteus with the HALO antenna on the aircraft's dorsal mount. | Photo: Scaled Composites

This was not the end of the Proteus' missions, however. The Model 281's ability to reach high altitude for long periods made it attractive to various governmental agencies as a research platform. During 2000, the Proteus flew the National Polar-Orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System Airborne Sounder Testbed – Interferometer (NAST-I) instrument pod for the Department of Energy, as well water vapor experiments as for the ARM-FIRE AFWEX program. In 2001 several missions for NASA were undertaken, including the Transport and Chemical Evolution over the Pacific (TRACE-P) project, again flying the NAST pod with over 126 flight hours being logged as the plane flew from Alaska, Hawaii and Japan.

-Proteus with the NAST-I pod in flight. | Photo: NASA

Later in the year the Model 281 moved to the US East Coast as part of the Chesapeake Lighthouse & Aircraft Measurements for Satellites (CLAMS) program, flying out of NASA Wallops as one of a number of aircraft experimenting with different methods of remotely measuring ocean conditions. The following year, the USAF contracted the Proteus to carry a 30' long target pod for the YAL-1 Airborne Laser aircraft. The pod had over 2,000 optical sensors to detect the laser being fired, but due to scheduling conflicts it was never actually used, and a different system was added to the NKC-135 Big Crow for the YAL's test phase. One of those conflicting programs was NASA's Environmental Research Aircraft and Sensor Technology-Detect See and Avoid (ERAST-DSA), which involved the Proteus flying in a semi-autonomous capacity to develop a traffic control system for UAVs. ERAST ran from March to April, and involved the Proteus being fitted with a number of radar and communications systems, including a Goodrich Skywatch HP Traffic Advisory System and an Amphitech OASys 35 GHz radar, and flown remotely (with safety pilots on-board) while various other aircraft were flown around it on potential collision courses to test the systems' abilities to detect the oncoming threat. The ground pilot was then able to direct the Proteus away from the intruders. In May and April the plane was again flying for NASA, this time as part of the International H2O Project (IHOP 2002), which involved flying the Holographic Airborne Rotating Lidar Instrument Experiment to gain a clearer understanding of four-dimensional (4-D) distribution of water vapor and its application to improving the understanding and prediction of convection, in the interests of improving forecasting techniques. In July the 281 was fitted with wingtip extensions and canards for NASA's Crystal-FACE project, which measured tropical cirrus clouds during flights from Key West, Florida, sometimes flying as far south as Belize. For this program, the Proteus was flying along with several of NASA's other high fliers, including the ER-2 and WB-57.

-The Model 281 in Key West, with work being done to the FACE pod. | Photo: NASA

In the autumn of 2002 the Proteus was again flying in support of the the DoE's ARM program, this time testing the ARM-UAV instrument pod to allow further development of HALO UAVs to study the effect of cirrus clouds on the Earth's radiation balance. In addition to flights over the continental US, other phases involved the Proteus being based out of Fairbanks, Alaska in October 2004 and from Darwin, Australia in February 2006. Also in 2006, the USAF contracted the Proteus to carry the Multi-Platform Radar Technology Insertion Program (MP-RTIP) pod, being developed for the RQ-4B Global Hawk. The system, when fully developed, would allow the Global Hawk to track slow-moving ground vehicles as well as low-flying targets like cruise missiles and UCAVs. The pod, 30 feet long and weighing 3,000 pounds, was one of the largest and heaviest payloads carried to date by the Model 281.

-Proteus carrying the massive MR-RTIP pod over Southern California in 2006. | Photo: Northrop Grumman

Proteus has been contracted by other companies as well, flying several missions in 2005 for Transformational Space Corp. (aka t/Space) to test their trapeze system for an air-launch rocket system which had been proposed for NASA's Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) and Commercial Crew Development (CCDev) programs. Northrop Grumman, which had acquired Scaled Composites in 2007 and now operates the company as a subsidiary, has offered a militarized version of the Proteus, as the Model 395, to the USAF as part of a 2004 request for proposals for a HALO UCAV capable of flying at 35,000 to 50,000 feet for 16-30 hours with a payload of 3,000 pounds. A fully UAV modification of the Model 281, the proposed UCAV would have mounted a sensor turret under the nose as well as a synthetic-aperture radar pod forward and weapons racks under the center fuselage, including triple racks for 500lb JDAMs or a single 5,000 bunker buster. The Model 395 was not selected, but Northrop continues to refine the concept.

-Rendering of the Model 395, armed with bombs. | Photo: Northrop Grumman

RECORD HOLDER Proteus has set several world altitude records in FAI Class C-1e (Landplanes: takeoff weight 3,000 to 6,000 kg (6,600 to 13,200 lb)), Group 2 (turbojet) including:

Altitude: piloted by Mike Melvill and Robert Waldmiller, 19,277 m (63,245 ft) on 25 October, 2000.

Altitude in horizontal flight: piloted by Mike Melvill and Robert Waldmiller, 19,015 m (62,385 ft), also on 25 October, 2000.

Altitude with a 1,000 kg (2,200 lb) payload: piloted by Mike Melvill and Robert Waldmiller, 17,067 m (55,994 ft), on 27 October, 2000.

-The Proteus cuts a unique, but graceful figure. | Photo: NASA

[mehmetkali]

Airbus, DSEI Fuarı’nda uzay, savunma ve helikopter ürün ve hizmetlerini görücüye çıkarıyor https://ift.tt/3wtlubK

Airbus, savunma, uzay, güvenli haberleşme ve helikopter segmentlerinde öne çıkan ürün ve hizmet yelpazesini 14-17 Eylül tarihleri arasında Excel Londra’da düzenlenecek olan Uluslararası Savunma ve Güvenlik Ekipmanları (DSEI) fuarında sergileyecek.

H6-122 numaralı Airbus standında, A400M yeni nesil nakliye uçağı ve Skynet 6A askeri haberleşme uydusunun modellerinin yanı sıra H175M orta sınıf çok yönlü helikopterinin büyük ebatlı bir modeli de ziyaretçilere sunulacak.

Ziyaretçiler ayrıca, Birleşik Krallık’ın yeni orta sınıf helikopter (NMH) ihtiyaçlarını karşılayacak olan Airbus Helicopters yapımı H175M helikopteri hakkında daha fazla bilgi edinme şansı bulacak.

Airbus’ın, Skynet askeri uydu haberleşme yeteneği de dahil olmak üzere güvenli iletişim konusundaki uzmanlığı, DSEI’deki kilit teması olacak. Airbus, ortakları KBR, Leidos, Northrop Grumman ve QinetiQ ile birlikte gelecekteki Skynet hizmetleri konsorsiyumuna liderlik etmenin yanı sıra İngiltere Savunma Bakanlığı’nın gelecekteki askeri uydu haberleşme ihtiyaçlarına odaklanıyor.

Güvenli haberleşme, Airbus’ın Proteus Unity Satellite Modem sistemini kullanan rotor pervanesi iletişimi sayesinde görüş hattının ötesine (BLOS) taşınıyor. Bu yeni hafif sistem, platformun kendisinden herhangi bir giriş yapmaksızın pervane konumunu algılayan bir dalga kullanır ve iletimi her zaman optimum haberleşmeyi sağlayacak şekilde uyarlar.

‘Multi Domain Combat Cloud’ bilgi ağında Airbus, çok alanlı operasyonları nasıl gerçeğe dönüştürdüklerini gösterecek. Airbus temsilcileri, “Endüstrinin dijital temeli sağlamadaki rolü ve Savunma verilerinin gücünü açığa çıkarma” ve “Ordu savaş deneyimi: Gelecekteki karmaşık savaşlara hazırlanmak için teknolojiyi kullanma” gibi uzman panellere katılacak.

DSEI ayrıca, Airbus, Fujitsu and Thales UK’yi bir araya getiren ve İngiltere Savunma Bakanlığı’nın Kara Taktik Haberleşme ve Bilgi Sistemleri (LE TacCIS) programı için Sistem Entegratörü (SI) üzerinde iş birliği içinde çalışacak olan ICELUS’yi tanıtacak.

LE TacCIS programı, Haberleşme Bilgi Sistemleri (CIS) tarafından sağlanan bilinçli ve zamanında karar alma araçlarını sunarak kara ortamında yeni nesil taktiksel askeri iletişimi uygulamak amacıyla çok sayıda alt program ve projeden oluşmaktadır.

Mayıs 2021’de Airbus, 100. A400M teslimatına ulaştı ve aynı hafta dokuz operatör ülke (Belçika, Fransa, Almanya, Kazakistan, Lüksemburg, Malezya, İspanya, Türkiye ve İngiltere) için hizmet veren A400M küresel filosu, dünya çapında 100,000 uçuş saatini tamamladı.

from Aeroportist I Güncel Havacılık Haberleri https://ift.tt/3k6mZda via IFTTT

[sakrumverum]

USA: Konzerne unterstützen LGBT-Gesetz, das Religionsfreiheit aushebelt:

<img src="https://de.catholicnewsagency.com/image/google-pride-sundry-photography-shutterstock_1620211914.jpg/640" style="margin: 10px 0"><p>Ein Gesetz in den USA, das wichtige Schutzmaßnahmen zur Religionsfreiheit ausschließt, wird von über 400 amerikanischen Unternehmen mit Milliarden von Dollar Jahresumsatz unterstützt. Das berichtete die <a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/247520/wealthy-corporations-back-equality-act-stripped-of-religious-freedom-protections">Catholic News Agency</a> (CNA).<br /> <br /> Mehr als 400 Unternehmen haben sich demnach einer Unternehmenskoalition zur Unterstützung des "Equality Act" (Gleichheitsgesetz) angeschlossen, erklärte die LGBT-Lobbygruppe "Human Rights Campaign" am 27. April. <br /> <br /> Das Gleichheitsgesetz würde die sexuelle Orientierung und die Geschlechtsidentität als geschützte Kategorien unter dem Bundesbürgerrechtsgesetz hinzufügen, wo gegenwärtig die Rasse geschützt ist. <br /> <br /> Die Gesetzgebung soll verhindern, dass Ansprüche auf Religionsfreiheit von Einzelpersonen und Gruppierungen unter dem Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) geltend gemacht werden können. Das bahnbrechende Gesetz aus dem Jahr 1993 wurde von vielen als Verteidigung gegen verschiedene Regierungsmandate angeführt, aber das Gleichstellungsgesetz würde diese Schutzbestimmungen zur Religionsfreiheit außer Kraft setzen. <br /> <br /> Die US-Bischofskonferenz warnte daher, das Gleichstellungsgesetz könne religiöse Gruppen "bestrafen", welche die gleichgeschlechtliche "Ehe" und die Transgender-Ideologie nicht anerkennen.<br /> <br /> "Anstatt Unterschiede in den Überzeugungen über Ehe und Sexualität zu respektieren, würde das Gleichstellungsgesetz Menschen des Glaubens diskriminieren", so die Bischofskonferenz.<br /> <br /> Der Equality Act wurde im März vom US-Repräsentantenhaus verabschiedet und befindet sich derzeit im US-Senat. Die 416 Unternehmen, die das Gesetz unterstützen, haben ihren Hauptsitz in 33 US-Bundesstaaten und erwirtschaften zusammen einen Jahresumsatz von 6,8 Billionen Dollar. Sie beschäftigen insgesamt mehr als 14,6 Millionen Mitarbeiter.<br /> <br /> In einem Brief an das Parlament vom 23. Februar sagten fünf Ausschussvorsitzende der US-Bischofskonferenz, die Verabschiedung des Gesetzes würde Einzelpersonen und Organisationen "neuartige und spaltende Sichtweisen in Bezug auf 'Geschlecht' aufzwingen".<br /> <br /> Sie sagten, das Gleichstellungsgesetz würde religiösen Institutionen und Menschen des Glaubens Zwangsmandate auferlegen. Zum Beispiel könnte der Gesetzentwurf Kirchenräume zwingen, Veranstaltungen zu beherbergen, die ihren Glauben verletzen, oder religiöse Adoptionsagenturen bedrohen, die in gutem Glauben keine Kinder an gleichgeschlechtliche Paare vermitteln können, erklärten die Bischöfe. Frauen müssten unter der Gesetzgebung Schutzräume und Umkleideräume mit biologischen Männern teilen, die sich als Transgender-Frauen identifizieren. <br /> <br /> Die Ankündigung der Human Rights Campaign zur Unterstützung des Gesetzes zitierte die Zustimmung von Unternehmensführern von American Airlines, Levi Strauss & Co. und der Dow Chemical Company.<br /> <br /> Carla Grant Pickens, Global Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer des Technologieunternehmens IBM, lobte den Gesetzentwurf als einen positiven Schritt für die Innovation. Sie sagte, dass "eine Belegschaft, die die Vielfalt der heutigen Gesellschaft widerspiegelt, neue Ideen und Innovationen vorantreibt".<br /> <br /> "Bei IBM versuchen wir, die talentiertesten Mitarbeiter einzustellen, unabhängig von ihrer Geschlechtsidentität, sexuellen Orientierung, Religion oder anderen persönlichen Merkmalen. Wir glauben auch, dass sich der Schutz der Gleichberechtigung über die vier Wände eines Arbeitgebers hinaus erstrecken sollte, weshalb IBM zusammen mit HRC den Equality Act unterstützt", sagte Grant Pickens.<br /> <br /> "Es ist an der Zeit, dass der Schutz der Bürgerrechte auf LGBT-Personen landesweit auf einer klaren, konsistenten und umfassenden Basis ausgedehnt wird", sagte sie. <br /> <br /> Die Human Rights Campaign, die für das Gesetz plädiert, sagte, dass selbst dann, wenn eine sich selbst als "LGBT" identifizierende Person für einen Arbeitgeber mit einer starken Antidiskriminierungspolitik arbeitet, "dieser Mitarbeiter und seine Familienmitglieder immer noch Diskriminierung in anderen Lebensbereichen erfahren können und keine rechtliche Handhabe haben". Die Gruppe behauptete, das Fehlen eines expliziten Nichtdiskriminierungsschutzes bedeute, dass Mitarbeitern Gesundheitsversorgung, Kredite, Wohnraum und "grundlegende Güter und Dienstleistungen" verweigert werden können.<br /> <br /> Weiter hieß es, die Unterstützung der Gesetzgebung durch Unternehmen habe sich seit 2019 mehr als verdoppelt.<br /> <br /> Die vatikanische Glaubenskongregation kritisierte in einem Dokument aus dem Jahr 1992 Antidiskriminierungsgesetzgebung auf der Grundlage der sexuellen Orientierung. Während sie Gewalt und Bosheit gegen Menschen ablehnt, sagte die Kongregation, dass die sexuelle Orientierung "keine Qualität darstellt, die mit Rasse, ethnischer Herkunft usw. in Bezug auf die Nichtdiskriminierung vergleichbar ist."<br /> <br /> "Im Gegensatz zu diesen ist die homosexuelle Orientierung eine objektive Störung und ruft moralische Bedenken hervor", so das vatikanische Dokument.<br /> <br /> "Es gibt Bereiche, in denen es keine ungerechte Diskriminierung ist, die sexuelle Orientierung zu berücksichtigen, zum Beispiel bei der Unterbringung von Kindern zur Adoption oder in Pflegefamilien, bei der Einstellung von Lehrern oder Sporttrainern und bei der militärischen Rekrutierung."<br /> <br /> Ähnliche Gesetze wie das vorgeschlagene Gleichstellungsgesetz - die Diskriminierung aufgrund der sexuellen Orientierung oder der Geschlechtsidentität verbieten - wurden bereits in mehreren Bundesstaaten und auf lokaler Ebene erlassen. <br /> <br /> Religiöse Adoptionsagenturen in mehreren Bundesstaaten mussten schließen, weil sie sich weigerten, Kinder an gleichgeschlechtliche Paare zu vermitteln, wie es die staatlichen oder lokalen Gesetze vorschreiben. Geschäftsinhaber wurden verklagt, weil sie sich weigerten, gleichgeschlechtliche Hochzeitstorten zu backen oder gleichgeschlechtliche Hochzeitszeremonien zu fotografieren, wie es die Antidiskriminierungsverordnungen vorschreiben. In Connecticut erlaubte eine staatliche Richtlinie biologischen Männern, die sich als Transgender-Frauen bezeichnen, beim Sport für Frauen mitzumachen. <br /> <br /> Die Human Rights Campaign meldete laut Steuerformularen 44,6 Millionen Dollar an Jahreseinnahmen im Jahr 2019. Sie listet viele nationale Unternehmenspartner auf ihrer Internetseite in einem vierstufigen System von "Platin", "Gold", "Silber" und "Bronze".<br /> <br /> Zu den aktuellen Platin-Sponsoren gehören American Airlines, Apple, die Coca-Cola Company, Smirnoff, Google, Intel, Lyft, Microsoft, Nationwide, Northrop-Grumman, Pfizer, Target und UPS.<br /> <br /> Zu den Gold-Partnern der Organisation gehören CapitalOne, Carnival, Lexus, Nike und Nordstrom.<br /> <br /> Wie CNA bereits berichtete, sind mehrere NGOs an einem großen Vorstoß beteiligt, den Schutz der Religionsfreiheit zu beseitigen, wo er mit LGBT-Anliegen oder mit dem Zugang zu Abtreibung und Verhütung in Konflikt steht. Große Spender wie die Ford Foundation, die Arcus Foundation und der Proteus Fund haben Millionen von Dollar an zweckgebundenen Zuschüssen für Kampagnen zur Neudefinition oder Marginalisierung des Schutzes der Religionsfreiheit bereitgestellt.<br /> <br /> Derartige Spender haben über 100 Millionen Dollar in die jahrzehntelangen Bemühungen um die Anerkennung gleichgeschlechtlicher Partnerschaften als Ehe gesteckt.</p> <p><em><strong>Das könnte Sie auch interessieren: </strong></em></p> <p><em><strong>https://twitter.com/CNAdeutsch/status/1199959247209017345?s=20</strong></em></p> <p><em><strong>https://twitter.com/CNAdeutsch/status/1381530932495147009?s=20</strong></em></p> <p><em><strong>https://twitter.com/CNAdeutsch/status/1389618735829458947?s=20</strong></em></p> <p><em><strong>https://twitter.com/CNAdeutsch/status/1339471376156127240?s=20</strong></em></p> <p><em><strong>https://twitter.com/CNAdeutsch/status/1389857008174653440?s=20</strong></em></p> <p><em><strong>https://twitter.com/cnadeutsch/status/1110081719661723653?s=20 </strong></em></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/cnadeutsche/nachrichten/~4/WwkQ39FJ-bM" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>

--Quelle: https://de.catholicnewsagency.com/story/reiche-unternehmen-unterstuetzen-pro-lgbt-us-gesetz-das-religionsfreiheit-aushebelt-8371

[defpost]

HII Proteus successfully completes unmanned missions testing

HII Proteus successfully completes unmanned missions testing

Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) Proteus dual-mode undersea vehicle successfully completed autonomous contested battlespace missions during the 2017 Advanced Naval Technology Exercise (ANTX) at the Naval Surface Warfare Center (Panama City Division), the company said in a statement.

During ANTX, the Naval Surface Warfare Center, in cooperation with HII, Battelle, Northrop Grumman and Riptide…