Lockheed-Martin Legion Pod Under Test on F-15C

This story is interesting to me for a couple of reasons. I don't know much about the specs of this pod, but it sounds very unusual. The article at the link is a bit vague, but a little research turns up hints that the pod is intended for use in radar-denied areas and is to provide long-range IR tracking. It is also to contain a secure datalink capability. Okay... putting 3 and 6 together, and given that the F-15C already has a datalink capability, it could well be that the datalink is intended to bridge the 4th-to-5th gen secure comms requirement so that the eagle can work better with F-22 and F-35 partners. But if it were me, that would not be the only possibility. Unless you do a lot of extra work, you can normally only get azimuth and elevation out of an IRST system. You can only make some crude guesses regarding the range of your target. But wait... I probably have a wingman. If he also has a similar pod, and the two pods are talking to each other via secure datalink... then suddenly I have an accurate range as well. Hmmm...

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/lockheed-martins-legion-pod-completes-125800081.html

Virgin Galactic is Back in the Air

The article at the link below is brief, but it does include about a minute of the obligatory "Here we are flying!" video. I find it interesting that Wibaux anticipates an extended flight test process. I'm not sure what he means by that, but after initial "production flight test" profiles to show that basically everything works, and assuming no major structural or engine redesigns since SpaceShipOne, I would expect the flight test program to pick up just about where it left off.  Guess we will see.

http://www.aeronewstv.com/en/industry/research-innovation/3518-maiden-flight-for-virgin-galactics-new-vessel.html

Virgin Galactic Prepares for Maiden Flight of "Unity"

The brief statement of intent at the link below contains no new flight test information, but for those not directly involved in flight test, it provides an excellent explanation of how and why people continue to push the limits and fly into the unknown. No, it is not written in those terms, but it nevertheless ventures into the thinking of a team of adventurers who refuse to go down without a fight. I salute everyone who shares the same spirit.

Photo Courtesy Virgin Galactic

http://www.virgingalactic.com/update-from-mojave-preparations-for-unitys-flight-test-program/

Airlander 10 Airship Mishap Being Probed

While there is not much detail provided in the story at the link below, the good news is that the team does, indeed, appear to be taking the recent mishap as a wake-up call. The are expressing their intent to learn from whatever caused the crash.

Photo Courtesy K. Atherton - Popular Science via YouTube

http://www.popsci.com/airship-company-plans-to-recover-from-crash