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helicopters

Comau and Leonardo Helicopters design ‘advanced automated inspection’ system for aeronautical structures

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The increasing push for faster processes, better control and higher quality in the aerospace industry necessitates a new generation of advanced automation designed to automate complex processes that until a short time ago could only be done manually.

When it comes to testing critical structures such as helicopter blades, for example, the potential benefits of automation increase exponentially, as robotic inspection grants accuracy as well as efficiency.

They also ensure standardization of and full compliance with the testing process by objectively completing each assigned task. [Read more…] about Comau and Leonardo Helicopters design ‘advanced automated inspection’ system for aeronautical structures

Nasa awards AeroVironment $10 million contract to design helicopters for Mars mission

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The success of Ingenuity Mars helicopter, co-designed and co-developed by AeroVironment and NASA/JPL, lays the foundation for the development of the Sample Recovery Helicopters

AeroVironment has been awarded a $10 million contract by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) to co-design and co-develop conceptual designs and engineering development units of Mars Sample Recovery Helicopter flight systems.

Future efforts could include detailed design, build, and test of qualification and flight hardware. The helicopters build upon the Ingenuity Mars Helicopter design heritage and feature upgraded robotics to supplement aerial mobility.

AeroVironment engineers from the MacCready Works team previously worked with NASA JPL to co-design and develop the Ingenuity Mars Helicopter, which has completed 52 successful flights to date on Mars and survived 781 sols on the surface, far outperforming its design objectives. [Read more…] about Nasa awards AeroVironment $10 million contract to design helicopters for Mars mission

Airbus unveils autonomous helicopter

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Aerospace giant Airbus has unveiled an autonomous helicopter.

The prototype of Airbus Helicopters’ VSR700 unmanned aerial system has performed its first free flight. The VSR700 performed a 10-minute flight at a drone test centre near Aix-en-Provence in the south of France.

The company says this is a “significant step” in the programme following the first flight in November 2019 when the prototype was tethered to comply with regulatory requirements. [Read more…] about Airbus unveils autonomous helicopter

Airbus Helicopters and Hungarian Government to establish new site in Gyula

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Airbus Helicopters and the Hungarian Government have selected the town of Gyula in the Békés County as the site for a new aerospace enterprise in Hungary.

The new installation will be built from scratch and will be the core of an emerging Hungarian aeronautics cluster.

This was announced in Budapest by Bruno Even, CEO of Airbus Helicopters, and Gáspár Maróth, Government Commissioner for national defence industry and defence development and coordination of armament modernisation.

[Read more…] about Airbus Helicopters and Hungarian Government to establish new site in Gyula