Tag Archives: EAGLE

Air Force

Mission for the USAF

A United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket carrying the Air Force Space Command (AFSPC)-11 mission lifted off from Space Launch Complex-41 on April 14 at 7:13 p.m. EDT. AFSPC-11 is a multi-payload mission. The forward payload is referred to as CBAS (Continuous Broadcast Augmenting SATCOM) and the aft spacecraft is EAGLE (EELV Secondary Payload Adapter (ESPA) Augmented Geosynchronous Experiment).

A United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket carrying the AFSPC-11 mission for the U.S. Air Force lifts off from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida, on April 14, 2018. AFSPC-11 is a multi-manifested mission. The forward spacecraft is referred to as CBAS (Continuous Broadcast Augmenting SATCOM) and the aft spacecraft is EAGLE (ESPA Augmented GEO Laboratory Experiment).
A United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket carrying the AFSPC-11 mission for the U.S. Air Force lifts off from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida, on April 14, 2018. AFSPC-11 is a multi-manifested mission. The forward spacecraft is referred to as CBAS (Continuous Broadcast Augmenting SATCOM) and the aft spacecraft is EAGLE (ESPA Augmented GEO Laboratory Experiment).

«Today’s launch is a testament to why the ULA team continually serves as our nation’s most reliable and successful launch provider for our nation’s most critical space assets», said Gary Wentz, ULA vice president of Government and Commercial Programs. «I want to thank the entire ULA team, and the phenomenal teamwork of our mission partners».

This mission was launched aboard an Atlas V Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) 551 configuration vehicle, which includes a 5-meter/16.4-foot large Payload Fairing (PLF). The Atlas booster for this mission was powered by the RD AMROSS RD-180 engine. Aerojet Rocketdyne provided the five AJ-60A Solid Rocket Boosters (SRBs) and RL10C-1 engine for the Centaur upper stage.

This is the 77th launch of the Atlas V rocket, ULA’s 4th launch in 2018 and the 127th successful launch since the company was formed in December 2006.

ULA’s next launch is the InSight mission for NASA on an Atlas V rocket. The launch is scheduled for May 5 at Space Launch Complex-3 at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California.

With more than a century of combined heritage, United Launch Alliance is the Nation’s most experienced and reliable launch service provider. ULA has successfully delivered more than 125 satellites to orbit that aid meteorologists in tracking severe weather, unlock the mysteries of our solar system, provide critical capabilities for troops in the field and enable personal device-based GPS navigation.

The Air Force's AFSPC-11 mission, encapsulated inside a 5-meter payload fairing, is mated to its United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V booster inside the Vertical Integration Facility (VIF) at Cape Canaveral's Space Launch Complex-41 (Photo credit: United Launch Alliance)
The Air Force’s AFSPC-11 mission, encapsulated inside a 5-meter payload fairing, is mated to its United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V booster inside the Vertical Integration Facility (VIF) at Cape Canaveral’s Space Launch Complex-41 (Photo credit: United Launch Alliance)
Air

Autonomous Guidance

In line with its strategy of innovation for the future of vertical flight, Airbus Helicopters is developing an experimental on board image processing management system aimed at performing automatic approaches and landing in challenging conditions, as well as paving the way for future sense & avoid applications on autonomous Vertical Take-Off and Landing (VTOL) systems.

Project Eagle aims at improving safety and automation capabilities for existing and future platforms
Project Eagle aims at improving safety and automation capabilities for existing and future platforms

Codenamed Eagle, for Eye for Autonomous Guidance and Landing Extension, this system federates the entire helicopter’s image processing functions and feeds them into the avionics system, thus improving the crew’s situation awareness and reducing the pilot’s workload by automating and securing approaches, take-off and landing in the most demanding environments. Ground tests of Eagle have been ongoing since May this year and initial flights tests on a testbed helicopter will begin shortly.

«While existing missions such as search and rescue and offshore transportation will benefit from Eagle’s capabilities, the system will also help address future requirements for operations in urban environments», said Tomasz Krysinski, Airbus Helicopters Vice-President Research & Technology. «Ultimately, thanks to its ability to provide increased situation awareness, Eagle will also contribute to improve the safety, autonomy and performance of future unmanned vehicles».

The system, which could be embedded in a variety of existing and future Airbus VTOL vehicles, relies on a gyro-stabilized optronics package, which includes three high resolution cameras and state-of-the-art processing units, as well as on-board video analytics providing advanced functionalities such as object detection and tracking, digital noise reduction as well as deep learning.

Future versions of the Eagle system will also integrate a laser, which combined with the high processing capability could open the door to other applications such as a new generation of search lights, obstacles detection and 3D terrain reconstruction.

Ground Forces

Field-proven vehicle

General Dynamics Land Systems-UK is demonstrating EAGLE, the internationally field-proven military vehicle, at DVD2016. In partnership with General Dynamics European Land Systems, General Dynamics Land Systems-UK has submitted EAGLE for the UK’s Multi Role Vehicle – Protected (MRV-P) programme.

General Dynamics Land Systems-UK Demonstrates EAGLE at DVD2016
General Dynamics Land Systems-UK Demonstrates EAGLE at DVD2016

EAGLE provides high protection and mobility on- or off-road. It is available in a range of 4×4 and 6×6 configurations and can fulfill roles such as Armoured Personnel Carrier, Ambulance, Recovery, Command, Reconnaissance and Logistics. EAGLE provides logistics commonality across its range of variants, offering lower maintenance and lifecycle costs.

EAGLE is an established product with more than 1,200 in-service with the German, Swiss and Danish Armies. In service with the British Army, there are more than 200 highly mobile and robust DURO vehicles, which, like EAGLE, are part of General Dynamics´ Light Tactical Vehicle Family. Due to recent contract awards, EAGLE platforms are currently in-production and available now for customer trial programmes.

Kevin Connell, vice president of General Dynamics Land Systems-UK, said: «EAGLE is an established and trusted vehicle that is used widely by European armies. Its range of configurations, alongside its high all-terrain mobility and protection levels, makes it the ideal vehicle to meet the British Army’s MRV-P requirement. General Dynamics’ extensive expertise in the delivery and integration of wheeled military vehicle fleets means that the British Army can receive these vehicles within their desired timescales. In addition, we are committed to maximising the manufacture of these vehicles in the UK and supporting further highly-skilled jobs here in the UK».

General Dynamics Land Systems-UK is currently developing AJAX, the British Army’s first fully-digitised platform. The first AJAX platform will be delivered in 2017 from General Dynamics Land Systems-UK’s Assembly, Integration and Test (AIT) facility in Merthyr Tydfil, South Wales.

Worldwide, General Dynamics Land Systems has a long pedigree and experience in delivering tracked and wheeled military vehicles, alongside specialist knowledge in complex, scalable Electronic Architectures. It delivers, amongst others, the Abrams main battle tank, Stryker and the Cougar Mine Resistant Ambush – Protected (MRAP) family of vehicles.