Mar 12, 2010, post by Artur Ślesik
Thanks to Glenn Martin, you can own a jet pack for about $75,000.
It’s light weight, so you don’t need a pilot’s license. All you need to do is put in 40 solid minutes of training. As as long as you have some coordination skills, you could be flying in no time.
Enter The Martin Jetpack, a 200-horsepower, dual-propeller flying device that runs up to 60 mph on a five-gallon tank of gas, giving its passenger a 30-minute joyride.
The only unappealing thing about the jet pack is the obnoxious noise it makes. But I can imagine how fun it would be to fly. While the jet pack in this video doesn’t really take off, the newest model can lift you 1.5 miles into the air.
Martin’s 30 year hobby is just now entering pre-production somewhere in New Zealand, thanks to a multi-million dollar investment.
Beyond satisfying people’s dreams of flying, the jet packs might have a more practical use in the military or be used as a rescue vehicle in emergency situations.
Martin Jetpack Specifications
Height 5 ft
Width 5.5 ft
Length 5 ft
Structure Carbon fibre composite
Empty weight 250 lbs (excluding safety equipment)
Gross weight 535 lbs
Useful (Pilot) Load 280 lbs+
Maximum thrust 600 lbs+
Fuel Capacity 5 US gallons (as required by FAA Part 103,Ultralight Regulations)
Fuel burn 10.0 gph
Engine Martin Aircraft 2.0 L V4 2 stroke, rated at 200 hp (150 kw). Max 6000 rpm.
Electrical system 12 V DC Battery, starter, 360 w alternator.
Rotor Carbon / Kevlar composite diameter 1.7 ft
Max 7058 rpm
Range 31.5 miles (at max speed of 63 mph as required by FAA part 103).
Hover in ground effect 8000 ft (estimated)
Hover above ground effect 8000 ft (estimated)
Standard Equipment Flight and Engine displays
Harness
Ballistic Parachute
Retractable undercarriage
Energy absorbing undercarriage.
Classification Meets the requirements of the FAA Part 103, Ultralight Regulations
Pilot License The Ultralight class does not require an FAA recognised pilots license.
Mar 12, 2010, post by Artur Ślesik
AgustaWestland, a Finmeccanica company, has been awarded a contract with a value of EUR 560 million by the Indian Air Force for the supply of 12 AW101 helicopters for government transport.
The AW101 provides excellent levels of safety for Head of State and government transport duties. Features such as three engines give the aircraft unmatched performance and safety in the event of an engine failure. Over 180 AW101 helicopters have been ordered or are being operated in various countries also including Italy, UK, Denmark, Portugal, Japan and Canada.
The AW101 was selected by the Indian Armed Force thanks to its superior features in terms of performance in hot & high and all-weather capability, cabin space and comfort, dedicated technology and self-protection solutions, safety and low operating costs.
Expressing his satisfaction with the order win, Pier Francesco Guarguaglini, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Finmeccanica, said: ‘The contract signed with the Indian Air Force confirms the quality of our products, based on technological excellence, and the effectiveness of our strategy of focusing on expansion into new markets.
AgustaWestland continues to provide support, training and upgrade services to the Indian Navy for its fleet of Sea King helicopters. In 2005 AgustaWestland sold its first AW109 Power helicopter to the Government of Rajasthan and since then sales of its civil product range have taken-off with orders being placed for over 30 aircraft including additional AW109 Powers, the new Grand light twin engine helicopter, the AW119Ke single engine and the AW139 medium twin.
Recently orders in the commercial market have been made by AgustaWestland’s authorized distributor, Sharp Ocean, for two VIP-configured Grand New light twins and one AW119Ke, marking the entrance of the state-of-the-art Grand New type in the country.
With a growing fleet and order book AgustaWestland has also expanded its service network in India to deliver greater levels of local customer service and support through OSS Air Management Pvt.Ltd and Air Works India Engineering Pvt.Ltd, to service and support AgustaWestland’s range of modern high performance commercial helicopters.
Last month AgustaWestland and Tata Sons signed a Shareholders’ Agreement for the formation of an Indian joint venture company which will establish in India a final assembly line for the AW119 helicopter.
The AW119 is also the AgustaWestland contender for the Indian Ministry of Defence’s Reconnaissance and Surveillance Helicopter (RSH) programme. An AW119 demonstrator is currently conducting a series of demonstrations to the Indian Armed Force’s as part of the evaluation process for the Indian Ministry of Defence’s RSH programme.
The AW119 has already demonstrated its outstanding capabilities operating at altitudes in excess of 6,000 m in the Himalayas and will carry out further demonstrations in hot environmental conditions in the coming months.
Additional Army, Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard helicopter requirements for light observation, anti-surface and anti-submarine warfare, combat, border and coastal patrol duties allows AgustaWestland to foresee a potential market worth approximately €5-6 billion for over 600 military helicopters in India in the next ten years.
Mar 12, 2010, post by Artur Ślesik
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The U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command’s tank and automotive center will publicly display its newest technology for the first time at the National Defense Industry Association’s Ground Robotic Capabilities Conference and Exhibition March 16-18 in Miami, Fla.
The Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center will display military robots in an industry-wide push for interoperability during the event. To highlight the theme “Dual Role of Robotics Technologies – Public and Private Sector,” the conference will bring warfighters, first responders, and government and industry technology professionals together to address increased responsiveness to user needs.
The center will introduce Tanglefoot, a device designed to be attached to more than 8,000 currently-fielded robots. Tanglefoot combines an interface kit, wire rake and mast to create a simple, low-cost, universal tool to assist the defeat of IEDs and route clearance.
Improvised explosive devices are the most deadly threats to United States and coalition forces today and are responsible for nearly two-thirds of causalities in Iraq and Afghanistan, according to the Defense Manpower Data Center.
The conference’s focus includes how the best ideas from the military, automotive industry and NASA can be shared.
“The Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center plans to take advantage of the conference to spur cooperation between government agencies and private partners,” said Dave Thomas, TARDEC Intelligent Ground Systems associate director. “This year, TARDEC will unveil a technology that was directly requested from our Warfighters as well as focus on how we can get the entire robotic community working together on communications challenges.”
The Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center develops and integrates the right technology solutions to improve current force effectiveness and provide superior capabilities for the future force.
Army officials said the Tanglefoot initiative demonstrates the importance of collaborative efforts. “The teaming of TARDEC and the Robotics Systems Joint Project Office made this possible, said Maj. Chad Harris, assistant project manager for maneuver support systems.
“The Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center rapidly developed and tested the device, then transferred it to us for fielding. This collaboration helps the warfighter get the best equipment he or she needs to be effective.”
At the show, TARDEC will also demonstrate how multiple robots can be operated by a single controller. While TARDEC will demonstrate this capacity with PackBot and Omni Directional Inspection System robots and an iPod Touch, an iPad – or similar device – will be leveraged to show this awesome capability and how diverse systems can work together to better optimize and integrate future technology.
