Piasecki Aircraft Corporation acquired the KARGO UAV program from Kaman Air Vehicles in April, and recently launched a new upgraded variant of the medium-lift autonomous uncrewed aerial vehicle, the KARGO II. The KARGO II is a larger capacity version of the KARGO UAVwith increased payload capacity "from approximately 500-800 lbs. (227-363kg) to over 1,500lbs (680kg)," according to the company's August 12 announcement about theupgrade. The original version of the UAV completed several flight testing and demonstration milestones under U.S. Army and Marine Corps contracts, prior to Piasecki's acquisition of the program in April. Piasecki plans to manufacture the KARGO II at its Heliplexfacility in Coatesville, Pennsylvania, and expects to add new program partners and suppliers over the next year. The company expects the production version of the KARGO II to become available by 2027. John Piasecki, CEO of Piasecki Aircraft Corporation, is theguest on this episode of the Aerospace & Defense Technology podcast to discuss the future of the KARGO UAV program.
--------
19:32
--------
19:32
Microchip’s New Processor Enables Scalable Computing Performance for Aerospace and Defense Applications
In 2024, Microchip launched PIC64, a new portfolio of microprocessors that the Chandler, Arizona-based company claims could enable a generational leap in embedded processing performance for aerospace and defense applications. The new MPU technology is supported by a 64-bit reduced instruction set computer (RISC-V) architecture with an embedded Time Sensitive Networking (TSN) Ethernet switch. Check out the article featured in the September 2024 issue of Aerospace & Defense Technology to learn more about what the new processor could provide for spaceflight computing applications. Bill Dillard, Senior Manager of Aerospace and Defense at Microchip, is the guest on this episode of the Aerospace & Defense Technology podcast to explain how the PIC64could also advance embedded processing performance for a wide variety of aerospace and defense applications.
--------
19:31
--------
19:31
A Quantum Accelerated Digital Twin for Aerospace and Defense Simulation
A dual-use quantum accelerated simulation startup recentlyestablished a strategic collaboration with the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory to advance its mission-critical modeling and simulation capabilities with quantum computing. BQP (BosonQ Psi), the Syracuse, New York-based startup, has also announced a new "oversubscribed $4.9 million seed round to expand its unified digital twin platform, BQPhy®, for mission-critical industries, including aerospace, defense (A&D), and semiconductors," according to a July announcement aboutthe new funding round. The startup's BQPhy simulation platform is powered byquantum algorithms that are capable of unlocking significant gains in high performance computing when compared to platforms that use legacy algorithms, according to BQP. “Our quantum-inspired solvers are setting a new benchmarkin simulation technology, bridging today’s computational limits and the quantum-ready future,” said Abhishek Chopra, BQP’s Founder, CEO, and Chief Scientific Officer. “The traction we're experiencing from AFRL/RQ and industry-leading design partners validates the immediate impact and substantialROI our platform delivers today. We're also making significant R&D progress in quantum-native solvers for Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) and Machine Learning (ML), paving the way for future simulation workload for the next generation of data centers where HPC and quantum computers operate side by side.”Chopra is the guest on this episode of the Aerospace & Defense Technology podcast to explain how their simulation technology leverages quantum algorithms for simulation and modeling.
--------
17:06
--------
17:06
In-Memory Computing Chip is a Processing Breakthrough for On-Device AI Applications
EnCharge AI, a California-based startup, recently launchedthe EnCharge EN100 artificial intelligence (AI) chip, developed with a scalable analog in-memory computing architecture. The launch of EN100 came a year after EnCharge AI signed apartnership with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to develop the new chip. “EN100 represents a fundamental shift in AI computingarchitecture, rooted in hardware and software innovations that have been de-risked through fundamental research spanning multiple generations of silicon development," said Naveen Verma, CEO at EnCharge AI. "These innovations are now being made available as products for the industry to use, as scalable, programmable AI inference solutions that break through the energy efficiency limits of today’s digital solutions. This means advanced, secure, and personalized AI can run locally, without relying on cloud infrastructure. We hope this will radically expand what you can do with AI.”Verma is the guest on this first episode of Season 10 the Aerospace & Defense Technology podcast. He explains how the EN100 delivers up to 200+ TOPS of total processing power for edge computing applications, and why it represents a major breakthrough for on-device AI.
--------
16:45
--------
16:45
Kymeta's Breakthrough in Multi-Band Antenna Satellite Connectivity
Kymeta achieved a major breakthrough for the satellite communications industry recently by connecting four concurrent beams in Ku- and Ka-band frequencies with a single antenna aperture, during a demonstration in April. Enabled by the company's unique metamaterials antenna surface, the technology was demonstrated and validated at Kymeta's headquarters in Redmond, Washington. Until this point, according to Kymeta, interoperability in the Ku and Ka bands has been possible only with Electronic Steered Antennas (ESA) using multiple physically separate antennas, which proves problematic due to the size and power usage required to operate. Kymeta Chief Scientist Ryan Stevenson is the guest on this episode of the Aerospace & Defense Technology podcast to explain how they were achieved this groundbreaking demonstration of satellite communications.
The Aerospace & Defense Technology podcast provides independent coverage of information that impacts the business, innovation, and trends occurring across all segments of aerospace and defense, with an emphasis on technology. Across a continuing series of seasons, the A&DT Podcast provides insights into the most pertinent topics occurring in today's aerospace system engineering field.
The podcast also features interviews with experts on topics featured at SAE Media Group Defense's U.S. and Europe-based live conferences and exhibitions.
South Africa