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Jul 12 2010

Britain’s Ministry of Defence unveils unmanned Taranis combat aircraft

Category: Industry Happenings — admin @ 7:18 pm

Well, it looks like Boeing’s unmanned Phantom Ray stealth aircraft just got a bit of company courtesy of Britain’s Ministry of Defence. It’s now unveiled the BAE-built Taranis, which is not just an unmanned aircraft, but an unmanned combat aircraft that promises to be capable of penetrating enemy territory — as opposed to something like a Predator drone that’s only suitable for use if the airspace is under control. As you might expect, complete details on the aircraft are still being kept under wraps, but the MoD says there’s “more than a million man hours” behind it, and that its first flight trials will begin early next year. And, no, “unmanned” doesn’t mean autonomous — the MoD is quick to point out that, “should such systems enter into service, they will at all times be under the control of highly trained military crews on the ground.”

[Thanks, Rob]

Britain’s Ministry of Defence unveils unmanned Taranis combat aircraft originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 12 Jul 2010 18:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Tags: Aircraft, Britain's, Combat, Defence, Ministry, Taranis, unmanned, Unveils

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Jul 11 2010

Inhabitat’s Week in Green: solar aircraft, freshwater wind farms, and the Automotive X Prize

Category: Industry Happenings — admin @ 8:18 pm

Each week our friends at Inhabitat recap the week’s most interesting green developments and clean tech news for us — it’s the Week in Green.

This week Inhabitat saw the world’s first solar-powered aircraft soar through the night sky as it successfully completed its first 24-hour flight. We also took a look at the 15 ultra-efficient cars currently vying for the Progressive Automotive X Prize. Electric vehicles also made the headlines left and right this week as Korean carmarker CT&T announced plans to produce EVs in South Carolina and California rolls out plans for a whopping 1,600 charging stations.

Heatwaves swept the states this week, but we found some solace in the abundance of sunshine as Obama unveiled plans to kick-start the US solar industry with a $2 billion investment. We also looked at a sleek and stylish solar powered bag and an advanced solar cell manufacturing technique that promises to boost the efficiency of thin film photovoltaic cells by a fourth. Wind power also made waves as plans were officially unveiled for the United States’ first freshwater wind farm in Lake Erie.

Finally, this week we saw several remarkable advancements from the field of biotechnology, starting with an amazing new wound dressing that harnesses nanotechnology to detect and treat infections before they strike. And from the desk of strange-yet-true comes one architect’s plan to create a conceptual home entirely from meat cells grown in a lab!

Inhabitat’s Week in Green: solar aircraft, freshwater wind farms, and the Automotive X Prize originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 11 Jul 2010 20:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Tags: Aircraft, automotive, farms, freshwater, GREEN, Inhabitat's, PRIZE, Solar, Week, wind

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Sep 08 2009