Nouvelles

Le CRIAQ a récemment lancé le projet iNorth, financé par le Ministère de l'Économie et de l'Innovation et CRSNG, et dont l'objectif est de supporter le développement d'un nouveau système de surveillance et de contrôle de température de batteries au lithium-ion pour l'aérospatiale. Félicitations aux partenaires impliqués dans ce projet : CAE, Calogy Solutions, Université de Sherbrooke et ÉTS.

Bordeaux Technowest et Airbus Développement lancent un concours « Challenge Innovation », dans le cadre du salon UAV SHOW qui aura lieu les 19, 20 et 21 octobre à Bordeaux. Ce concours vise à mettre en lumière les projets innovants portés par les startups de la filière drones, selon 4 thématiques : impact environnemental, innovation technologique, service au territoire, intelligence artificielle et data & communication. La clôture des candidatures est prévue le 1er octobre. https://www.aerobuzz.fr/breves-aviation-generale/challenge-innovation-bordeaux-technowest-et-airbus-developpement/?paged1=2#:~:text=Lancement%20du%20Challenge%20Innovation%20par,up%20de%20la%20fili%C3%A8re%20drones.

A mechanical and aerospace engineering professor is developing advanced helmets to ensure that members of the military are as protected as possible from blasts and other types of attacks.

Red 6, an augmented reality fighter pilot training startup, has raised a $30 million round of financing.

Innovation NASA (27 avril) A NASA project named SABERS (Soli-state Architecture for Enhanced Rechargeability and Safety) is exploring new materials and construction methods to build a better battery. A component called “holey graphene” has shown high levels of electrical conductivity. The NASA-developed component is ultra-lightweight and environmentally friendly. SAF (26 avril) France's Clermont-Ferrand Auvergne Airport is now the first in the country to supply sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). Michelin Air Services as the first customer. The SAF is derived from used cooking oil supplied by Air BP. Drones- Advanced Air Mobility L3Harris and Bye Technologies (28 avril) L3Harris Technologies and Bye Aerospace have agreed to develop an all-electric, multi-mission aircraft that will provide intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities. They will modify the recently announced eight-seat, all-electric, twin-motor eFlyer 800™ aircraft. Spirit AeroSystems (28 avril) Spirit AeroSystems in Northern Ireland has named team members for the United Kingdom's Mosquito ‘loyal wingman' attritable unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) concept under the Lightweight Affordable Novel Combat Aircraft (LANCA) programme. They include Northrop Grumman and Intrepid Minds. ASKA (27 avril) Pre-orders are now being taken for the ASKA, an electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) vehicle designed for consumers. The four-seat ASKA acts as an automobile as well as a VTOL and STOL aircraft. Spatial Arianespace (29 avril) Arianespace a mis en orbite au moyen du lanceur Vega, le satellite Pléiades Neo 3 pour le compte d'Airbus Defence and Space ainsi que cinq charges utiles auxiliaires dans le cadre de la mission Small Spacecraft Mission Service (SSMS). Northstar Earth & Space (29 avril) Northstar Earth & Space and ExoAnalytic Solutions (California) will expand their strategic collaboration agreement to deliver timely and precise Space Situational Awareness (SSA) services. Data from ExoAnalytic's global 300-plus ground-based telescope network and from sensors on NorthStar's satellite constellations will be combined. China (29 avril) Le premier module de Tiangong-3, le « Palais céleste » chinois, a été mis en orbite par un lanceur Longue Marche 5. Trois astronautes chinois, ou « taïkonautes », doivent s'y installer en juin prochain. La Chine sera ainsi la troisième nation à disposer d'une installation habitable permanente dans l'orbite terrestre Russia and China International Lunar Research Station (26 avril) Russia and China have formally invited countries and international organizations to join their International Lunar Research Station (ILRS) project. They stated that the project would be open to participation at all stages and levels.

In January 1991, coalition forces led by the United States launched the opening moves in the Gulf War with an air campaign that demonstrated America's overwhelming technological superiority. The entire world watched in awe as stealth aircraft, nearly invisible to radar, flew unhindered over the skies of Baghdad; video- and laser-guided munitions struck military targets with exquisite precision; and anti-radiation missiles made easy work of defenders' surface-to-air radar systems. The fruits of America's investments in research and engineering were on full display as the armed forces achieved not only superiority, but total supremacy over the Iraqi military. In the intervening 30 years, peer competitors have had ample time to study our way of war. This means not only emulating and copying U.S. technologies, but also probing for vulnerabilities. For example, potential adversaries have realized that we are highly reliant on space and have invested in ways to hold our systems at risk. As former Secretary of the Air Force Heather Wilson described the dilemma we face with our space capabilities, “We built a glass house before the invention of stones.”

The U.S. Army plans to use like digital twins and advanced manufacturing to improve aviation sustainment.

The Air Force's Agility Prime program awarded a phase I small business technology transfer (STTR) research contract to Jump Aero and Caltech.

The Defense Innovation Unit received nearly 1,000 proposals in response to its solicitations last year, another sign that the Pentagon's outreach to commercial industry is bearing fruit. DIU was launched in 2015 by then-Secretary of Defense Ash Carter to bridge the gap between the military and the nation's tech hubs. It is headquartered in Mountain View, California, in Silicon Valley, with additional outposts in Austin, Texas, Boston and the Pentagon. “DIU's mission to strengthen U.S. national security by increasing the military's adoption of commercial technology and to grow the national security innovation base is critical not only to maintaining a strategic advantage over our adversaries but also to the strength of our economy,” the organization said in its recently released 2020 annual report. Over the past five years, the unit has leveraged more than $11 billion in private investment, the document noted. “The startups, established companies, venture capital firms, investors and traditional defense contractors that DIU works with to deliver the best commercial technology to the Department of Defense are ... fundamental sources of dual-use technologies,” it said. In 2020, DIU initiated 23 new projects, a 35 percent year-over-year increase. It received a total of 944 commercial proposals and increased the average number of proposals per solicitation by 52 percent compared with 2019. Fifty-six other transaction agreements for prototyping were awarded to companies, the majority of which were small businesses or nontraditional firms. A total of $108 million in prototype funding was obligated. Between June 2016 and December 2020, DIU facilitated more than $640 million in prototype funding, according to the report. Notably, the unit in 2020 facilitated the transition of 11 successful commercial prototypes to its Defense Department partners for large-volume procurement, an increase of 22 percent over the previous year. About 43 percent of DIU's projects to date have yielded at least one prototype that has transitioned to production, according to the report. Fifty-one ongoing projects have prototypes that will be eligible for transition to production if successfully completed. “What began in 2015 as an experiment to lead Department of Defense outreach to commercial innovators has become a gateway for business between leading-edge companies and the U.S. military,” the report said. DIU's main technology focus areas have been artificial intelligence, autonomy, cyber, human systems and space. In October, it added advanced energy and materials to its portfolio. “We look forward to providing even more high-impact solutions that will bolster our military's strategic, operational and tactical advantage,” the organization said.