Celebrating 2024 and spinning up 2025
Air Force Research Laboratory
Leading the discovery, development and integration of affordable warfighting technologies in air, space and cyber.
In this edition of Linked into AFRL we highlight 8 celebratory stories featured in this year's newsletter and also share a new technology that was recently "spun up" named SPIRRAL.
Thank you for following us for news, partnership and career opportunities in 2024; we look forward to more collaborations in 2025!
Starfire Optical Range's 3.5m telescope marks 30th anniversary of 'First Light'
The Air Force Research Laboratory marked a milestone in space exploration Feb. 10, 2024, commemorating the 30th anniversary of the “First Light” images captured by the 3.5-meter telescope at the Starfire Optical Range, Kirtland Air Force Base, N.M. Retired AFRL senior scientist, astronomer, physicist and senior executive Dr. Robert Q. Fugate, who worked for AFRL for over 40 years and whom the scientific community has coined “the father of adaptive optics and modern astronomy,” was integral in the development and installation of the telescope 30 years ago.
The telescope is the second largest in the DOD behind its sister 3.67-meter telescope at the Air Force Maui Optical and Supercomputing Site (AMOS) and would go on to prove a capability that would have huge impacts around the world.
In the fall of 1993, a 4,500-pound monolithic spun-cast borosilicate mirror had its telescope mount and mirror installed, capturing the inaugural image of a space object Feb. 10, 1994. Since that date and over the past three decades, the telescope has accelerated revolutionary developments in space awareness and imaging technologies featuring laser guide star, or LGS, adaptive optics, or AO, as an essential component for numerous space experiments.
AFRL’s XQ-67A: second generation autonomous collaborative platform completes first flight
The Air Force Research Laboratory’s Aerospace Systems Directorate successfully flew the XQ-67A, an Off-Board Sensing Station (OBSS), uncrewed air vehicle Feb. 28, 2024, at the General Atomics Gray Butte Flight Operations Facility near Palmdale, California.
The XQ-67A is the first of a second generation of autonomous collaborative platforms, or ACP. Following the success of the XQ-58A Valkyrie, the first low-cost uncrewed air vehicle intended to provide the warfighter with credible and affordable mass, the XQ-67A proves the common chassis or “genus” approach to aircraft design, build and test, according to Doug Meador, autonomous collaborative platform capability lead with AFRL’s Aerospace Systems Directorate.
This approach paves the way for other aircraft “species” to be rapidly replicated on a standard genus chassis.
The new approach also responds to the challenge of great power competition by speeding delivery of affordable, advanced capability to the warfighter.
“This approach will help save time and money by leveraging standard substructures and subsystems, similar to how the automotive industry builds a product line,” Meador said. “From there, the genus can be built upon for other aircraft — similar to that of a vehicle frame — with the possibility of adding different aircraft kits to the frame, such as an Off-Board Sensing Station or Off-Board Weapon Station.”
Integrated cockpit sensing (ICS) monitoring system aims to protect pilots
An Air Force Research Laboratory-developed physiological monitoring system for pilots recently completed a series of F-16 flight tests March 4-17, 2024, at the U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School at Edwards Air Force Base, California.
The data collected by ICS aims to protect pilots by issuing a warning if certain measures like blood oxygen levels are problematic.
Six student test pilots and engineers used the ICS system inside the F-16 to collect data for their capstone test management project.
The ICS system, developed by AFRL’s 711th Human Performance Wing, Human Effectiveness Directorate, fuses sensors that collect physiologic markers from pilots during flight.
“It aggregates measures of oxygen being provided to the brain, heart rate, respiration rate [and] skin temperature, basically a bunch of markers that provide context and help us understand how the pilot is responding to what he or she is asked to do,” said Chris Dooley, lead ICS engineer, AFRL Human Effectiveness Directorate. “This data helps us look at risks such as hypoxia and cabin depressurization as well as stress responses to different phases of flight.”
Paving the way to lighter, faster additively manufactured rocket engines
The Air Force Research Laboratory designed, printed, built and hot fired a first-ever, single-block rocket-engine thrust chamber additively manufactured using a process called laser powder directed energy deposition, or DED.
“AFRL’s investments in early advanced manufacturing techniques enable us to exploit corners of the design space for rocket engines and enable faster design turnover cycles from a concept in a whiteboard to test & evaluation in the field,” said Dr. Javier Urzay, chief Combustion Devices Branch.
DED is an additive manufacturing process in which the device injects metal powder into focused beams of high-power laser in highly controlled atmospheric conditions.
“It provides the largest build box volume for thruster hardware to date, capable of printing seven-foot-tall parts. This build box volume is much larger than that obtainable with techniques like the laser powder bed fusion process.
In addition, DED enables an order of magnitude less investment in powder and less material waste.
Engineers can also realize alloy blending and transitions in real time for multi-alloy builds to exploit the strength, weight and performance gains of next-generation superalloys,” said Urzay.
Accelerating initiatives with Generative AI (GenAI)
As part of its ongoing modernization efforts, the Department of the Air Force chief information officer, in partnership with the Air Force Research Laboratory, is accelerating initiatives to provide Guardians, Airmen, civilian employees, and contractors the ability to responsibly experiment with Generative AI, with adequate safeguards in place.
DAF senior leaders are focused on maximizing competitive advantage, recognizing that Airmen and Guardians need advanced technologies at the speed of relevance. To that end, the DAF launched NIPRGPT, an experimental bridge to leverage GenAI on the Non-classified Internet Protocol Router Network while continuing to explore maturing industry solutions.
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“Our recent GenAI Roundtables with industry and academia have shown us this is an actively growing field,” said Venice Goodwine, DAF chief information officer. “Now is the time to give our Airmen and Guardians the flexibility to develop the necessary skills in parallel. There are multiple modernization efforts going on right now across the federal government and within the DAF to get tools in the hands of the workforce. This tool is another one of those efforts.”
AFRL's New Commander
The Air Force Research Laboratory, or AFRL, welcomed its newest commander, Brig. Gen. Jason E. Bartolomei, at a change of command ceremony hosted by Gen. Duke Z. Richardson, commander, Air Force Materiel Command, July 10, 2024, at the National Museum of the United States Air Force in Dayton, Ohio. A livestream recording of the ceremony is available on AFRL’s YouTube channel.
In his opening remarks, Richardson acknowledged the lab’s transition from “one fantastic leader to another.”
“I do think that this is the job you were meant for,” Richardson said to Bartolomei. “All of the jobs that you’ve been doing have been leading to this one.”
Prior to assuming command of AFRL, Bartolomei served as the Program Executive Officer for Weapons and Director of the Armament Directorate at the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, or AFLCMC, at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, where Bartolomei was responsible for the planning and execution of all life cycle activities for air-delivered munitions and oversaw a $92 billion weapons portfolio
Autonomous aviation reducing delays in aircraft maintenance
AFWERX Autonomy Prime partners Joby and Reliable Robotics demonstrated how autonomous aviation can contribute to the Agile Combat Employment concept by flying daily autonomous logistics missions during the Air Force exercise AGILE FLAG 24-3 at Mojave Air and Space Port, California, Aug. 5-9, 2024.
During AGILE FLAG, the 23rd Wing from Moody Air Force Base, Georgia, and the 9th Reconnaissance Wing from Beale Air Force Base, California, tested their ability to generate combat air power while maneuvering and sustaining their forces in dynamic, contested environments across California and other locations in the western United States.
"These aircraft are saving the Air Force time and money by getting assets where they need to be in a shorter amount of time,” said Staff Sgt. Miguel Sarmiento, 633d Logistics Readiness Squadron aircraft parts store supervisor. “Looking ahead, if the Air Force adopts autonomous aircraft for asset transport in forward locations, it will increase sorties and flying hours by reducing delays in aircraft maintenance."
AFRL celebrates 20th anniversary of STARBASE STEM program
AFRL celebrated the 20th anniversary of the Department of Defense STARBASE Wright-Patt.
Since 2003, more than 47,000 students have participated in the K-12 DOD STEM outreach program managed by the Wright-Patterson Education Outreach Office, primarily supporting fifth-grade students
“STARBASE is a shining example of what we can accomplish when the military, educators and community join forces to invest in our youth,” said AFRL Commander Brig. Gen. Jason E. Bartolomei. “That’s a pretty powerful thing.”
“This program teaches our kids to be critical thinkers, problem solvers and team players, skills that apply anywhere their dreams may take them,” Bartolomei added
Revolutionizing space-based thermal systems: AFRL’s SPIRRAL launch on SPX-31
The Air Force Research Laboratory launched the Space Power InfraRed Regulation and Analysis of Lifetime, or SPIRRAL, experiment, Nov. 4, 2024. SPIRRAL, flown by AFRL through the DOD Space Test Program, will characterize the performance of Variable Emissivity Materials, or VEMs, an approach toward solving thermal challenges for space vehicles while on-orbit.
“We are committed to win the future in Space. The advancements we are making in space-based solar power systems are game changers for space vehicle resiliency,” said Brig. Gen. Jason Bartolomei, AFRL Commander and Department of the Air Force Technology Executive Officer.
VEMs are surface finishes that act like color-changing paints, however, the changes in coloration are only in the infrared light spectrum and are not visible to the human eye. VEMs can either reject or retain heat depending on the temperature being experienced. When the VEMs are hot, the material’s optical properties change to reject heat; when they are cold, they retain heat, effectively reducing temperature extremes.
The SPIRRAL Principal Investigator, Isaac Foster, highlighted the importance of this technology. “Thermal management in space is incredibly challenging. VEMs enable more efficient and reliable spacecraft in ways that current thermal management solutions do not. Demonstrating these VEMs on-orbit is imperative to understanding how to implement this technology going forward to ultimately bolster spacecraft resiliency.” This type of perpetual modernization is key to ensuring that U.S. forces are equipped with the necessary tools to enhance space asset resiliency, autonomy, and flexibility.
Highlighted below are five in-demand jobs — click on a position to learn more and apply.
Visit afresearchlab.com/careers to see career and internship opportunities around the world.
Thank you for reading this edition of the Linked Into AFRL newsletter. Please leave your feedback in the comments.
Chief Executive Officer at The Avengers Unlimited
4wLadies and Gentlemen, please add me to any groups or private groups that can run a chain of intelligence with me. Thanks 🙏
COMSAT Analyst at NASIC (National Air and Space Intelligence Center)
1moI’d love to join AFRL’s mission. Looks like such an exciting place to work!
What a wonderful recap!
Chief Technical Officer, Directed Energy Consultants LLC
1moInspiring