Naval Research Laboratory

The US Naval Research Laboratory has funded a groundbreaking project to develop a new hypersonic engine capable of morphing its shape during flight to optimize power, thrust and efficiency. It's now entering experimental testing in Florida.

In what it describes as the most significant demonstration of its kind in half a century, the US Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) beamed 1.6 kW of power over a kilometer (3,280 ft) using a microwave beam at the US Army Research Field in Maryland.

The US NRL is developing an Argon Fluoride laser that may one day make fusion power a practical by delivering the incredible temperatures required for a self-sustaining fusion reaction, with enough efficiency to make the process worthwhile.

When the US Air Force's X-37B autonomous spaceplane launched into orbit for the sixth time this week, it carried an experiment to explore the potential for beaming solar energy from space to Earth using microwaves.

Saturn may sport the most famous rings in the solar system, but it’s far from the only thing with some bling. Now, two new studies have found evidence of new rings in the inner solar system – a dusty one in the orbit of Mercury and a new set of asteroids following Venus’ path around the Sun.

A video game called Rover that was developed by the US military uses an Xbox Kinect is being used to help train dog handlers to detect subtle cues from canines that are used to sniff out buried improvised explosive devices (IEDs).

A team of experts at the US Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) has developed a new way of fabricating spinel, an armor material used in the windows of military vehicles, demonstrating that the strength of transparent ceramics could be dramatically improved and mean enhanced protection for personnel.

Although no one is saying that aircraft carriers will soon be able to fuel their jet fighters using water from the ocean, such a scenario has recently come a step closer to reality. Scientists have successfully flown a model airplane that was running purely on fuel derived from sea water.

The US Naval Research Laboratory's Ion Tiger fuel cell aircraft has broken its own record for longest sustained flight by an electric UAV.

A team of scientists from the U.S. Naval Research Lab may have found the key to breaking the 50 percent conversion efficiency barrier with an innovative multi-junction solar cell.

Scientists have created lenses that refract light in the same fashion as the lens in the human eye.

The U.S. Navy is examining the potential of using Rotating Detonation Engines (RDEs) to improve fuel consumption and cut costs.