New Atlas

Aircraft Audio available

Sikorsky HH-60W Combat Rescue Helicopter makes maiden flight

David Szondy May 19, 2019

The US Air Force's next rescue helicopter took to the skies for the first time on Friday. Based on the venerable UH-60M Black Hawk, the Sikorsky HH-60W Combat Rescue Helicopter will replace the HH-60G, which entered service in 1982.

The maiden flight was of the first of nine test aircraft

Space Audio available

Mars 2020 lander's heat shield passes critical milestone

David Szondy May 4, 2019

A vital part of NASA's Mars 2020 mission passed an important milestone as the unmanned probe's heat shield passed its final static load test under the thermal conditions it will encounter as it enters the Martian atmosphere.

The new heat shield is one the largest ever built

Military Audio available

Lockheed system gives V-280 Valor tiltrotor pilots 360-degree vision

David Szondy April 15, 2019

Merging two cutting-edge technologies, Lockheed Martin flew its Pilotage Distributed Aperture Sensor system aboard a Bell V-280 Valor last month. The multi-functional sensor system collects high-resolution images from around the aircraft, providing the flight crew with a 360-degree view.

The Bell V-280 Valor rotorcraft carried the Lockheed Martin PDAS for the first time last month

Space Audio available

Lockheed Martin develops smart satellite that can be reprogrammed in orbit

David Szondy March 21, 2019

Lockheed Martin is rolling out a new class of CubeSat that can be reprogrammed in orbit like a smartphone to take on new missions. The new SmartSat technology is being integrated into over 10 satellite programs to start with and the prototypes will be launched this year.

Lockheed Martin's new SmartSat technology prototypes will be launched this year on the first LM 50 ...

Space

Lockheed Martin completes full-size cislunar habitat prototype

David Szondy March 14, 2019

Lockheed Martin has completed work on its prototype cislunar habitat that will be used in designing and testing NASA's Gateway manned deep-space outpost. The earthbound habitat is studying key technologies, interfaces, and general livability needed for extended missions far from home.

Lockheed Martin's prototype cislunar habitat will be used in designing the Gateway deep-space outpost

Telecommunications

Lockheed's LTE-over-Satellite comms system turns cellphones into sat phones

David Szondy March 13, 2019

To maintain communications during emergencies or in remote areas, Lockheed Martin has come up with a new LTE-over-Satellite system that will allow LTE mobile phones to hook up with satellites to provide 4G connections.

The new technology would allow LTE mobile phones to tap into a satellite network

Military Audio available

Modular system stops anti-tank rockets

David Szondy March 4, 2019

In a recent US Army live fire exercise, an automatic countermeasure system successfully deflected 15 out of 15 anti-tank guided missile attacks. The Lockheed Martin Modular Active Protection Systems detected incoming missiles and deflected them off target by jamming their guidance signals.

MAPS is a collection of sensors and "soft" countermeasures that detect missiles and and then deflect ...

Materials Audio available

Lockheed Martin looks to biodesign new materials from microbes

David Szondy February 26, 2019

Lockheed Martin is turning to the littlest factories imaginable to develop a new generation of advanced materials. Working under a US$10 million, five-year contract the company will develop ways to bioengineer the DNA in single-cell organisms as a way to create new materials.

The Lockheed Martin Advanced Technology Center will explore how to scale up and improve biodesigns based ...

Military

Canada picks Britain's Type 26 design for future frigate program

David Szondy February 9, 2019

A consortium led by BAE Systems has been tapped to provide the Royal Canadian Navy's (RCN) next generation of frigates based on Britain's Type 26 warship as part of the National Shipbuilding Procurement Strategy with BAE providing the variant modifications.

Artist's concept of the Type 26 in Canadian livery

Aircraft Audio available

First look at ultra-fast Sikorsky/Boeing SB>1 Defiant dual-rotor helicopter

Loz Blain December 26, 2018

Sikorsky and Boeing have been working on this high-speed, long-range, ultra-maneuverable military helicopter design for some time, and now they’ve released the first photos of what is expected to become a highly effective US Army utility helicopter sometime in the 2030s.

The Sikorsky/Boeing SB>1 Defiant is our first look at the Future Vertical Lift project that will ...