Aerospace & Defense Technology - September 2022 - 7

craft at supersonic speeds. Then, on February
26, 1955, test pilot George Smith
ejected from an F-100 Super Sabre traveling
at Mach 1.05, becoming the first person
to survive ejection from an aircraft
flying at supersonic speed.
Laser Technology
Laser research was a field addressed
early on by the Air Force when it partially
supported the research of Dr. Charles
Townes, J. P. Gordon, and H. J. Zeiger
at Columbia University in 1953. The
research led to the development of the
Microwave Amplification by Stimulated
Emission of Radiation (MASER) in 1954.
A laser is a MASER that works with higher
frequency photons in the ultraviolet or
visible light spectrum. The result was the
first amplifier using energy changes in
the electrons of a gas to amplify signals
in the microwave region. Dr. Townes'
effort led to an explosion of laser-related
breakthroughs by numerous researchers
who were supported by the Air Force.
The first time lasers accompanied US
military forces into combat was in the
Vietnam War, where they designated
targets for laser-guided bombs. Since
then, such devices have been used to
determine distance to a target, to signal
and communicate, and to disrupt optical
devices of hostile forces.
The Jet Age
Speed was one of the primary considerations
as the Air Force transitioned to
an increasing reliance on jet propulsion.
The Korean War was a major milestone
in this transition.
The battle for air superiority reflected
the end of propeller-driven fighters and
the increased use of jet aircraft. As the
war began, the swept-wing F-86 Sabre
set a speed record of 670.981 mph -
the aircraft entered combat on December
16, 1950.
Within the next decade, other aircraft
types began to transition to jet propulsion.
One of the most well-known is
the B-52 Stratofortress strategic bomber.
Although the program had its origins
from the late 1940s, the first B-52 flew
in December 1954. Capable of reaching
a speed of 628 mph (546 knots) and
carrying 43,000 pounds, the aircraft
exceeded the original requirements.
A B-1B Lancer, assigned to the 34th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron, flies over the Pacific Ocean during a
Bomber Task Force mission in 2022. (U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Nicholas Priest)
On June 29, 1955, the Boeing Aircraft
Company delivered the first
B-52 Stratofortress to enter Air Force
operational service. The eight-engine
bomber was designed to drop nuclear
weapons from high altitude. The B-52
became - and continues to be - an
important part of the Air Force's strategic
bomber inventory.
The application of jet technology
to the aerial refueling mission also
occurred during this period. On June
28, 1957, the KC-135 Stratotanker was
delivered to the Air Force. Able to take
off at gross weights of up to 322,500
pounds, the jet tanker could cruise at
the same speed as jet bombers while
refueling, drastically reducing the time
for in-flight refueling missions.
The transition to jet propulsion transformed
the strategic reconnaissance
mission during the Cold War even more
dramatically. Working in secrecy in the
early 1950s, Lockheed began the design
of what would become the U-2 high-altitude,
long-range reconnaissance aircraft.
The
first test flight was in July 1955.
The aircraft could fly 10-hour missions
at top speeds of 600 mph to unprecedented
high altitudes.
Satellite Communications
The origins of GPS can be traced back
to the US Navy's Transit navigation system
in the 1950s to track latitude and
longitude. At the same time, the Air Force
was working on what was known as 621B,
and the Army had a satellite navigation
project. The Department of Defense
joined the efforts in a single program that
could track location in three dimensions:
latitude, longitude, and altitude.
Aerospace & Defense Technology, September 2022
mobilityengineeringtech.com
On December 18, 1958, the Air Force
placed the first artificial communications
satellite, a Project SCORE (Signal
Communication by Orbiting Relay)
vehicle, into low-earth orbit. The launch
demonstrated the peacetime application
of missile technology. The following day,
the satellite broadcast a taped recording
of President Eisenhower's Christmas
message - the first time a human voice
had been heard from space. The projected
duration of the orbit was 20 days and
the orbit actually lasted for 35 days.
On February 22, 1978, an Atlas booster
launched the first Global Positioning
System (GPS) satellite. Operated today
by the U.S. Space Force, GPS is freely
accessible by anyone with a GPS receiver
and has irreversibly changed the face
of military operations and civilian navigation.
Its first use in military operations
was during the Persian Gulf War
in 1991 before it was even fully developed,
and it has remained an essential
resource ever since.
Fly-by-Wire Flight Control
For 20 years, the Air Force Flight
Dynamics Laboratory conducted a stepby-step
research program in concert
with industrial partners to make fly-bywire
possible. Beginning in 1956, engineers
sponsored and participated in a
graduated series of basic and applied
research projects that culminated in the
adoption of active flight control on the
F-16 in the mid-1970s. The F-16 was
the first operational fly-by-wire aircraft
designed as such. The total direct investment
in Air Force fly-by-wire research
prior to its design in then-year dollars is
slightly under $20 million, inexpensive
considering the pervasive results.
7
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Aerospace & Defense Technology - September 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Aerospace & Defense Technology - September 2022

Aerospace & Defense Technology - September 2022 - Intro
Aerospace & Defense Technology - September 2022 - Sponsor
Aerospace & Defense Technology - September 2022 - Cov 1
Aerospace & Defense Technology - September 2022 - Cov 2
Aerospace & Defense Technology - September 2022 - 1
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Aerospace & Defense Technology - September 2022 - Cov 3
Aerospace & Defense Technology - September 2022 - Cov 4
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https://www.nxtbook.com/smg/techbriefs/21ADT06
https://www.nxtbook.com/smg/techbriefs/21ADT05
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