Aerospace & Defense Technology

The U.S. Army recently provided the following definition for "digital engineering," in the article "A Matter of Course," that explains how the Army is developing a new digital engineering course. Here's how the Army describes digital engineering:

"Digital engineering is the process of digitally designing military equipment, such as future combat vehicles or other military hardware, to be designed and built in a virtual environment where it can be tested, analyzed and can engage with Soldiers before a single piece of iron is bent to build the prototype. While digital engineering has become the norm in many commercial manufacturing settings, it is still a relatively new concept to the Army, and this knowledge gap has created a need for professional education inside the force."

On the second episode of Season 4, we highlight some of the digital transformation and new digital technologies and capabilities being developed and adopted by three of the largest aerospace and defense manufacturers in the world, including Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman and Raytheon. The chief executives from each of these industry giants highlighted show they're using digital design tools, developing new digital capabilities and adopting artificial intelligence (AI) during their respective second quarter earnings calls.

This is the first episode of the fourth season of the Aerospace & Defense Technology podcast, where the topical focus is the impact of digital engineering and how the use of new digital tools are re-defining aerospace and

The first episode features Tyler Saltsman, CEO of EdgeRunner AI, a new startup that is focused on enabling the concept of “Generative AI at the Edge.” EdgeRunner AI recently participated in the Act4Aero Conference at Stanford University, where the U.S. Air Force and Space Force announced new partnerships with AI pioneers such as

In July, EdgeRunner AI emerged from stealth and announced its official launch  with a $5.5 million seed funding round led by Four Rivers Group with participation from Madrona Ventures. The startup describes its mission as developing small, task-specific Ultra-Efficient Language Models (UELMs) that operate without needing internet access, and

Established in 2018 by four ex-Airbus engineers who led the development of an all-electric plane but believed that batteries alone would not be enough to decarbonize

Jean-Christophe Lambert, Ascendance Co-founder and CEO, joins the podcast to discuss why the use of a hybrid electric propulsion system could extend the range of future

Check out www.eVTOLtechusa.com for details on SAE Media Group’s first eVTOL Technology USA conference happening October 28-29 in Arlington, Virginia.

Helios Horizon, an initiative to develop a stratospheric electric airplane, recently concluded its latest flight test campaign having surpassed the altitude record for multi-seat electric aircraft.

Over a series of flights in April and May near Bishop, Calif., Helios Horizon progressed from 17,500 to 24,000 feet, all while using less than 60% of the aircraft’s total battery capacity.

On this episode of the Aerospace & Defense Technology Podcast, Miguel Iturmendi, Helios Horizon Founder and Chief Test Pilot, explains the project's goals and how their modified Pipistrel has been setting world records in altitudes achieved by an electric aircraft over the last year.

The Helios Horizon team includes engineers and test pilots from some of the world’s most well-known sustainable aviation initiatives, including Perlan Project, Solar Impulse and Solar Stratos. Iturmendi has been a test pilot for all three projects, and he has soared to more than 65,000 feet in the zero-emission, engineless Perlan 2.

For its stratospheric flights, Iturmendi designed and built his own partial pressure suit, which has been tested to 45,000 feet in the hypobaric chamber at the University of North Dakota’s Aerospace Physiology Department.

SAE Media Group has launched a new electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) conference, "eVTOL Technology USA," occurring October 28-29, in Arlington, VA. Go to eVTOLtechusa.com for more information.

Archer Aviation, Lilium and Joby are three of electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft manufacturers that have been making major progress in this growing new are of aviation over the last year.

In this episode, we highlight some of the latest flight testing advancement, international expansion and regulatory progress being made by these three eVTOL companies right now and why they're the top three to watch in this space over the next year.

SAE Media Group has launched a new eVTOL conference, "eVTOL Technology USA," happening October 28-29, 2024 in Arlington, VA. Go to www.eVTOLTechUSA.com for more details about the event and register to attend.

As several major electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) development programs — Archer, Joby and Lilium to name a few — are approaching the final stages of certification and eventual entry into service, the performance of the batteries that power those aircraft remain the key enabling this burgeoning new segment of aviation to takeoff in the near future.

Amprius Technologies continues to be one of the leading suppliers to the eVTOL market with batteries that have already demonstrated their ability to enable flight in drones, eVTOLs and high-altitude pseudo-satellite (HAPS), while also achieving several battery energy density breakthrough achievements over the last year.

In April, AIBOT, a California-based developer of artificial intelligence-powered eVTOLs and drones, selected the Amprius Silicone Anode battery to power the drone and six-passenger eVTOL aircraft that it is currently developing.

Ronnie Tao, Vice President of Business Development for Amprius Technologies, joins the Aerospace & Defense Technology Podcast to discuss the AIBOT battery

Check out www.eVTOLtechusa.com for details on SAE Media Group’s first eVTOL Technology USA conference happening October 28-29 in Arlington, Virginia.

The U.S. Army has shown increased interest in the use of different technologies for hybrid and electric-powered non-tactical and tactical vehicles in recent years. The most

Are there opportunities for UGVs to leverage AI for autonomous navigation in environments where manned military ground vehicles operate today? In a recent

Tim Stewart, Director of Business Development, Aitech, is the guest on this episode of the Aerospace & Defense Technology podcast to discuss how UGVs can leverage AI and some of the military scenarios where an AI-powered UGV could provide "decision superiority" for warfighters.

Bogdan Epureanu, Director of the Automotive Research Center and Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, is the guest on this episode of the podcast to discuss how his team is working on high-fidelity synthetic environments, virtual vehicle prototypes and virtual reality tools for human-autonomy teaming — all in the pursuit of enabling future off-road autonomous vehicles for the U.S. Army.