May 3, 2021 Washington State Patrol pilots successfully test special laser eye protection developed at Wright-Patterson Lab Aiming a laser at an aircraft is a federal crime that can net offenders up to five years in jail or cost them a $250,000 fine. Even with this heavy potential penalty, laser strikes have become increasingly more common. According to the FAA, 6,852 such incidents were reported in 2020, compared with
April 26, 2021 AFRL Materials scientist receives NextFlex 2021 Fellow Award Dr. Jeremy Ward, a scientist at Wright-Patterson’s Air Force Research Laboratory, has received a 2021 Fellow Award from NextFlex, America’s Flexible Hybrid Electronics (FHE) Manufacturing Institute. Ward was one of four recipients.
April 21, 2021 AFRL testing made Perseverance, the search for life on Mars possible On February 18, 2021, NASA’s rover Perseverance touched down on the surface of Mars to begin searching for evidence of past life. The success of this touchdown would not have been possible without the work of a team of researchers who operate unique erosion testing equipment in a windowless bunker
April 15, 2021 Team from Air Force Research Lab finds a way to use packaged snow as explosion protection In March 2021, a team from Wright-Patterson Air Force Base’s Junior Force Warfighter Operations in the Materials and Manufacturing Directorate (designated “JFWORX”) led a collaborative, live-fire test with explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) personnel from the 354th Civil Engineer Squadron at Eielson
April 2, 2021 AFRL approves Cooperative Research and Development Agreement for silicon photonics The Air Force Research Laboratory recently approved a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement between its Nanoelectronic Materials Branch and Iris Light Technologies. The collaboration will be working to develop hybrid silicon lasers. Sometimes called the “holy grail of optoelectronics,”
March 19, 2021 AFRL researchers demonstrate record-breaking RF isolator performance in ultra-compact device As the USAF continues with the unrelenting pursuit of driving down the size, weight and power of radio frequency (RF) components, the inherent challenges in these types of technologies are compounded. The typical difficulties of making smaller mechanical and physical components, however, are dwarfed
March 4, 2021 AFRL launches collaborative biosensor effort to detect stress, fatigue biomarkers The Air Force Research Laboratory recently kicked off a $2 million partnership with Case Western Reserve University. The joint project will accelerate biosensor development, with an emphasis on the detection of biomarkers for stress and fatigue.
Feb. 23, 2021 Army partners with Air Force’s THOR for base defense THOR is a prototype directed energy weapon used to disable the electronics in drones, and specifically engineered to counter multiple targets – such as a drone swarm – with rapid results. The technology is housed in a 20-foot-long shipping container that can be stowed in a military cargo plane and
Feb. 11, 2021 Edwards AFB conducts Space Force Transfer Ceremony The 412th Test Wing hosted a ceremony for 17 Airmen who have transferred as Guardians in the Space Force at Edwards Air Force Base, California, Feb. 11.
Jan. 28, 2021 AFRL Materials and Manufacturing Directorate celebrates annual awards recipients The Air Force Research Laboratory’s Materials and Manufacturing Directorate recently held their 68th Annual Awards Ceremony to honor its top achievers. Masters of ceremony were Dr. Jonathan Spowart from the Materials Integrity Branch and Mr. Keith Slinker from the Composite Branch.