Now available from Helix, the Survival Innovations ERA (Emergency Release Assembly) is a quick release lanyard system which allows aircrew to tether themselves to the airframe. The lanyard can be released under load and the quick release connector on lanyard can be released remotely using a pull tab.
The ERA meets the Personal Fall Arrest system requirements of ANSI Z359:1 and is rated at 22k
WHEELER ARMY AIRFIELD, Hawaii — Mahdi Al-Husseini had his whole career figured out as he enrolled in Georgia Institute of Technology back in 2013. He knew he would graduate with a joint degree in biomedical engineering and public policy before attending graduate school for computer science.
From there, he planned to pursue a job in the defense and space industry.
The idea of joining the Army never once crossed his mind, he said. He knew nothing of his school’s Reserve Officer Training Corps, or ROTC, and the vast opportunities in the Army.
Now a first lieutenant, Al-Husseini serves as an active-duty aeromedical evacuations officer with 3rd Battalion, 25th Aviation Regiment at Wheeler Army Airfield, Hawaii.
He is also an engineer currently developing an aerial hoist stabilization system that could help save lives during an in-air medical extraction.
“There is something unique about the medevac mission,” he said. “We ensure that America’s sons and daughters — individuals that have experienced great tragedy — have an opportunity to return home.”
Best-laid plans
While Al-Husseini’s passion for engineering never wavered during college, he did find a deeper calling to support something greater than himself.
The Army quickly soared to the top of his list, as he joined ROTC during his junior year. He was determined to give back to the people and institutions that helped him succeed.
“After I joined, I was deciding between a few different Army branches: medical services, engineering, or cyber,” Al-Husseini said. “That same year, I interned at the U.S. Army Aeromedical Research Lab.”
The USAARL looks to deliver scientific solutions to help save lives, according to lab officials. Research efforts target biomedical, physiological, and psychological issues, as the Army aims to increase the performance of aviation, airborne, and ground personnel.
As an intern, Al-Husseini assisted the lab’s experimental testing efforts tied to various aviation helmets. He eventually crossed paths with two medevac pilots working on a separate project. The three became friends as they started to exchange ideas.
“This was the first time I talked in depth about the medical evacuation mission,” Al-Husseini said. “We are responsible for bringing home America’s wounded warriors. In my opinion, this is truly one of theArmy’s no-fail mission sets.”
Influenced by his peers’ passion and drive, Al-Husseini’s outlook on engineering and his future career decisions started to shift.
“My experience [with USAARL] cemented my interest in the aeromedical mission. I decided to request medical services as my first choice of branch,” he said.
“I [now] look at engineering and computer science as tools in my toolbox,” he added. “I love engineering and computer science … but as an engineer, you have to decide what to do with those tools.”
Training, engineering, competing
Shortly after college, Al-Husseini found himself at Fort Rucker, Alabama, for flight training. It was around the same time that he started building his own company, a combined team of Army aviators and engineers, to develop their Stabilizing Aerial Loads Utility System.
“When we perform a medical evacuation on a real mission, usually it is the worst day of a patient’s life,” he said. “I wanted to use my skills and tool in a way that supports these Soldiers.”
During an in-air medevac mission, pilots are trained to control the aircraft as the hoist-line sways from the downward force of air created by the vehicle’s rotor system. Commonly known as downwash, this aerodynamic force can cause the hoist line to spin or oscillate, putting a patient or operator at risk.
“There have been fatalities connected to the spin, sway, or oscillation of the hoist line,” Al-Husseini said. “There have been a lot of folks that are negatively affected, either through asphyxiation, fatigue, or nausea. These real problems are impacting our patients, which are already in a compromised state.”
The new hoist-line system is designed to connect between a patient’s litter and the line’s base. The device’s internal control system will help stabilize the patient through a series of automatic spinning reaction wheels to counter the hoisted load movement.
As Al-Husseini continued through flight training, he split himself between two worlds. He spent most of his time learning to be an aeromedical evacuation officer, and then his free time on his invention.
He credits much of his success to the overwhelming support he received from leadership and colleagues during training and his career, including Capt. Kimberly Smith.
“It is amazing to see everything that he’s done and accomplished, all while learning how to fly,” said Smith, commander of Company D, 1st Bn., 145th Avn. Rgt. at the Army Aviation Center of Excellence.
Al-Husseini remained committed to his team as they entered their new aerial load system into several competitions, including the Army’s xTechSearch.
“The xTechSearch program is incredibly well run,” he said. “It is so important to the many small businesses that are working to develop technology” that might aid in the Army’s future.
The Army’s acquisition process can be confusing and overwhelming for a smaller business, he added. Through the competition, small business owners develop connections and can earn possible funding for a specific program.
“It is an exciting time to be in the Army right now and be an engineer,” Al-Husseini said. “The Army is working to improve on a technical level, and the xTechSearch program is a model blueprint” for the way ahead.
To attend these competitions, Al-Husseini had to request a delay in training, Smith said. Pausing a Soldier’s education could negatively impact their career, and is typically granted on a case-by-case basis.
“When you are on the flight line, it can definitely become very challenging. Your purpose is to learn how to fly,” Smith said. “I always preach to the students: you have to find balance.
“I am impressed that [Al-Husseini] managed all of flight school and graduated, all while designing a device that could be beneficial for the Army,” she added.
Currently, the device from Al-Husseini’s team is being evaluated by USAARL. If selected, it could become a vital tool in support of the medevac mission, he said.
Seeing the device on an Army aircraft, “would be a dream come true,” he added. “Not for myself and the success of my team, and not for any financial gain. Just knowing that each Soldier will be better off because of what we developed … is more than I could possibly ask for.”
Alternatively, if his device does not meet the Army’s final selection process, Al-Husseini would applaud the decision.
“I do not want my device to be selected if there is a better device that exists,” he added. “I want whatever is best for our Soldiers in the field. That is what it means to be an engineer. You have to continue to scrap your designs or refine to pivot and to create new ideas.”
Overall, Al-Husseini said, the Army is a diverse force full of incredibly inventive and resourceful people.
“Identify a problem and find a way to solve it,” he added. “You will be amazed at how supportive the Army can be. I think this is one of the things that makes our Army the greatest in the world.
“I want to encourage Soldiers to think outside the box and continue to push their limits to find ways to improve their organization. Because at the end of the day — no one knows their mission set better than they do.”
By Devon Suits, Army News Service
KOROR, Palau — A U.S. Air Force C-130 Hercules delivered U.S. Army Pacific Soldiers onto the newly renovated Angaur Airfield for training exercises in the Republic of Palau, Sept. 5.
The successful arrival of the military cargo plane validates the airstrip’s use by military and commercial aircraft, a little more than a week after the project’s completion and ceremony August 27. In the weeks prior, a U.S. civil-military engineer joint task force reconstructed and expanded the runway as part of the Angaur Airfield Joint Improvement Project.
The U.S. Ambassador to Palau, John Hennessy-Niland remarked that making a rudimentary airstrip capable of hosting cargo aircraft is a significant milestone in support of the people of Palau. “The completion of the Angaur Airfield Joint Improvement Project is a game changer,” said Hennessy-Niland. “Palau now has a secondary airstrip. This had been a long-standing request from the government of Palau and the State of Angaur.”
Adding a second airfield allows the U.S., along with other allies and partners in the region increased opportunity to support the delivery of humanitarian assistance in times of crisis or address other regional security concerns.
The USARPAC Soldiers are arriving as part of Defender Pacific 20, a theater-wide exercise that demonstrates strategic readiness by deploying combat credible forces in support of the Compact of Free Association agreement and the U.S. National Defense Strategy.
“The deployment of forces onto a newly certified airstrip demonstrates our ability to rapidly project joint combat power across the Indo-Pacific Command and reinforce international rules-based order,” said Col. James Bartholomees, USARPAC Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations. “This new runway demonstrates America’s investment in our important alliances and partnerships and our overall commitment to the people of Palau.”
U.S. Army Pacific worked closely with the U.S. Embassy, Government of Palau, and the Joint Region Marianas command in Guam to minimize risk of exposure to COVID-19 through 100% testing and quarantine measures. USARPAC would like to thank the Palau Ministry of Health for all their efforts and assistance with COVID-19 testing and clearance. All soldiers tested negative for the virus prior to their arrival to Angaur.
Courtesy of US Army News.
ARLINGTON, Va. (AFNS) —
Secretary of the Air Force Barbara Barrett told Air Force Association conference attendees that the future of Air and Space technology will include aircraft, weapons and satellites which will be digitally engineered and virtually tested before ever taking physical form.
A true paradigm shift, systems being considered for acquisition will be designed, developed and manufactured on a digital foundation, just like the Boeing eT-7A Red Hawk advanced trainer. The new process is part of the Department’s digital eSeries approach.
The secretary made her remarks during the keynote speech at this year’s Air Force Association Air, Space and Cyber Conference, which is being held virtually due to the global pandemic.
“To inspire companies to embrace the possibilities presented by digital engineering, today the Department of the Air Force is announcing a new weapons system designator—the ‘e’ series,” Barrett said. “Aircraft, satellites, weapon systems and more that are digitally engineered will receive an ‘e’ prefix.”
The first U.S. Air Force aircraft designed using the digital approach, the eT-7A Red Hawk, embraced model-based engineering and 3D design tools which reduced assembly hours by 80% and cut software development time in half. The aircraft moved from computer screen to first flight in just 36 months.
Other Air and Space Force programs have leveraged the power of digital engineering to reduce design and testing time. In the future, more Air and Space Force acquisition programs will be using digital engineering principles to design, code and build systems.
According to Air Force officials, an eSeries digital acquisition program will be a fully-connected, end-to-end virtual environment that will produce an almost perfect replica of what the physical weapon system will be. It will bring unprecedented speed and agility to help compete in the technology battlespace by enabling thousands, even millions, of virtual iterations at machine speeds to design the best possible system — but only build the single, best design.
By Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs
Coming this November, the First-Light GLIDR was developed under an AFWERX SBIR (Small Business Innovation Research) contract to create the ultimate aircrew light.
This PALS compatible light can also be mounted to clothing and helmets thanks to the 360-Degree, rotating steel clip.
There’s even a headlamp band.
It’s compact (60 x 53mm or 2.37 x 2.09 in) and lightweight (2.7oz with battery, 2.2oz without battery) and is powered by a single AA battery.
It offers White Light, NVIS (Mil Spec 3009) and IR (880nm).
Light Specs:
High White: 100 Lumens
Medium White: 40 Lumens
Low White: 10 Lumens
White Constant-On:
High: 5 Hours
Medium: 18 hours
Low: 30 Hours
White Beacon:
50 Hours
NVIS (Mil Spec 3009):
High: 5 Hours
Medium: 20 hours
Low: 40 Hours
Infrared Constant-On:
High: 10 Hours
Medium: 25 hours
Low: 40 Hours
Infrared Beacon: 60 Hours
Infrared and White-Light Beacon Flash Rate: 60/minute
Light Dispersion
White: Foucused Beam
NVIS: Flood Beam
Infrared: Omnidirectional
Waterproof 1 meter for 30 minutes (MIL-STD-810H / IPX7)
Offered in Midnight Black and Dark Gray.
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – A $1 million SBIR Phase II grant from the U.S. Air Force will help fast-track the development of a new innovative runway mat.
Pablo Zavattieri, the Jerry M. and Lynda T. Engelhardt Professor in civil engineering at Purdue University, is working with Indiana Technology and Manufacturing Companies (ITAMCO) to develop the new runway mat. The team uses metal 3D printing methods for its technology.
“The objective of the research is to develop a robust sheet or roll technology that serves as an alternative to the AM-2 mat for temporary or expeditionary flight operations,” Zavattieri said. “AM-2 matting has served the U.S. military well since the Vietnam War, but the materials and technology in the ITAMCO-led research project will offer many benefits over AM-2 matting.”
The proposed matting solution is composed of an upper surface that mates with a lower surface and contains a type of architectured material called Phase Transforming Cellular Material (PXCM) geometry to mitigate anticipated loading and shear stresses.
Zavattieri said a portable and lightweight airfield mat must be easy to install and store, yet capable of withstanding the stresses of repeated takeoffs and landings of aircraft.
“Products made with PXCM geometry have the ability to change from one stable configuration to another stable or metastable configuration and back again,” Zavattieri said. “This means the new runway mat could potentially heal itself, resulting in a much longer life span than a runway made with AM-2 matting. Another benefit is that debris on the runway will not hamper the runway’s performance with our technology.”
In Phase II, the team will move into the prototype and testing stage. The prototype’s ability to restore itself to its original contour and attain full operational capability 30 minutes after compaction and preparation of the final repair site will be tested.
If you’re looking for a lightweight alternative to a flying helmet, check out LIFT Aviation’s family of Flight Caps.
Offered in four variants, they all feature a FIDLOCK buckle system and snap button straps for securing communications equipment while in flight.
This is an open cockpit flight cap is made from a water repellent coated polyester. It features a comfort mesh lining and strategically placed perforations to provide ventilation.
This version of their open cockpit flight cap is made from premium-grade leather with strategically placed perforations to provide ventilation.
The Zero – 1 is LIFT Aviation’s top of the line open cockpit flight cap. It’s made from ultralight, super vented Ariaprene panels that wick moisture away from your skin.
Their newest Open Cockpit cap is also designed to be their lightest. It’s made from a highly breathable, water repellent coated polyester material.
ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md. — Soon, the U.S. Army will be able to deploy autonomous air vehicles that can change shape during flight, according to new research presented at the AIAA Aviation Forum and Exposition’s virtual event June 16.
Researchers with the U.S. Army’s Combat Capabilities Development Command’s Army Research Laboratory and Texas A&M University published findings of a two-year study in fluid-structure interaction. Their research led to a tool, which will be able to rapidly optimize the structural configuration for Future Vertical Lift vehicles while properly accounting for the interaction between air and the structure.
Within the next year, this tool will be used to develop and rapidly optimize Future Vertical Lift vehicles capable of changing shape during flight, thereby optimizing performance of the vehicle through different phases of flight.
“Consider an [Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance] mission where the vehicle needs to get quickly to station, or dash, and then attempt to stay on station for as long as possible, or loiter,” said Dr. Francis Phillips, an aerospace engineer at the laboratory. “During dash segments, short wings are desirable in order to go fast and be more maneuverable, but for loiter segments, long wings are desirable in order to enable low power, high endurance flight.”
This tool will enable the structural optimization of a vehicle capable of such morphing while accounting for the deformation of the wings due to the fluid-structure interaction, he said.
One concern with morphing vehicles is striking a balance between sufficient bending stiffness and softness to enable to morphing,” Phillips said. “If the wing bends too much, then the theoretical benefits of the morphing could be negated and also could lead to control issues and instabilities.”
Fluid-structure interaction analyses typically require coupling between a fluid and a structural solver.
This, in turn, means that the computational cost for these analyses can be very high – in the range of about 10,000s core hours – for a single fluid and structural configuration.
To overcome these challenges, researchers developed a process that decouples the fluid and structural solvers, which can reduce the computational cost for a single run by as much as 80 percent, Phillips said.
The analysis of additional structural configurations can also be performed without re-analyzing the fluid due to this decoupled approach, which in turn generates additional computational cost savings, leading to multiple orders of magnitude reductions in computational cost when considering this method within an optimization framework.
Ultimately, this means the Army could design multi-functional Future Vertical Lift vehicles much more quickly than through the use of current techniques, he said.
For the past 20 years, there have been advances in research in morphing aerial vehicles but what makes the Army’s studies different is its look at the fluid-structure interaction during vehicle design and structural optimization instead of designing a vehicle first and then seeing what the fluid-structure interaction behavior will be.
“This research will have a direct impact on the ability to generate vehicles for the future warfighter,” Phillips said. “By reducing the computational cost for fluid-structure interaction analysis, structural optimization of future vertical lift vehicles can be accomplished in a much shorter time-frame.”
According to Phillips, when implemented within an optimization framework and coupled with additive manufacturing, the future warfighter will be able to use this tool to manufacture optimized custom air vehicles for mission specific uses.
Phillips presented this work in a paper, Uncoupled Method for Massively Parallelizable 3-D Fluid-Structure Interaction Analysis and Design, co-authored by the laboratory’s Drs. Todd Henry and John Hrynuk, as well as Texas A&M University’s Trent White, William Scholten and Dr. Darren Hartl.
By U.S. Army CCDC Research Laboratory Public Affairs
