The Argonne Collaborative Center for Energy Storage Science has released a white paper detailing the research and development needed for the commercialization of electric aviation batteries. 

The white paper explores research areas where the Department of Defense and NASA could spur innovation in electric propulsion batteries amid a projected emergence of the urban air mobility services market, Argonne National Laboratory said Monday.

The study suggests investments in next-generation lithium-ion chemistries under aviation conditions for use in both air taxis and 20-passenger commuter aircraft, and a focus on new designs, manufacturing approaches and high-temperature operations for solid-state batteries to power 50-passenger regional jets.

Meanwhile, the paper calls for studies on future high-energy systems such as sulfur-based batteries and hydrogen carriers to power electric single-aisle 737-class aircraft.

“The white paper findings provide a framework for the development of an investment strategy by the government agencies for battery technologies specific to electric aviation beyond the current level of investment in the automotive sector,” explained Ajay Misra, deputy R&D director at NASA's Glenn Research Institute.

ACCESS wrote the white paper with information gathered from a 2019 meeting on electric aviation batteries R&D between DOE and NASA representatives and experts from aircraft and vehicle companies, component manufacturers, and academic and national laboratory researchers.

An engines project of the Naval Air Warfare Center aircraft division will gain access to the Department of Defense’s supercomputers, which will aid in conducting simulation tests of naval aviation engines before actual demonstration in a laboratory. 

As part of the High-Performance Computing Modernization Program Frontier Project portfolio, NAWCAD engineers can leverage the computers’ predictive modeling without having to risk actual resources for live demos, the Naval Air Systems Command said Monday. 

Rear Adm. John Lemmon, NAWCAD Commander, said the advanced computer simulation will help in reducing cost and saving time as aircraft, weapons and subsystems are undergoing development.

The access to the supercomputing platforms will also support the NAWCAD team’s modeling and simulation research initiatives, the findings of which will help in establishing whether the technology can be integrated with engines across the Navy and U.S. Army.

“The advanced design tools resulting from this project will lead to quantum leaps in the performance, efficiency and reliability of next-generation gas turbine engines,” said Luis Bravo, the engines project co-lead from ARL.

Laura Stanton, assistant commissioner for the office of information technology category at the General Services Administration’s (GSA) Federal Acquisition Service (FAS), said GSA plans to introduce a cloud marketplace that could be used by federal agencies as a one-stop shop for cloud platforms, FCW reported Monday.

"We keep hearing that agencies have to go multiple places to buy cloud," Stanton said. "We decided it was time to take the next step."

She noted that the planned marketplace would feature professional information technology services and post-award contract management tools and would include a “foundational set of requirements” to ensure that cloud platforms comply with Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP) guidance and other security requirements.

“We want to put together not just a framework, but a market contractual vehicle that will allow our agencies to buy these core cloud services that we're seeing them need more and more,” Stanton said of the cloud marketplace.

In May, GSA sought industry feedback on plans to release a multiple-award blanket purchase agreement as part of an acquisition strategy for enterprise cloud services. The agency also issued a second draft policy that would enable federal agencies to buy commercial cloud services on a consumption basis under the Federal Supply Schedule program.

Sunnyvale, California-based security company Illumio has secured a contract from the Air Force Research Laboratory to help the service branch implement a tool to gain visibility into digital assets and prevent threats from spreading across a network.

The company said Monday it looks to drive the adoption of Core microsegmentation platform at the Department of the Air Force under the second phase of the AFWERX Small Business Innovation Research program.

Core is designed to help users identify applications with unnecessary risks via a map and block ransomware attack pathways before the malicious threat moves laterally within the enterprise.

Mark Sincevich, director of Illumio's federal business, said that microsegmentation could serve as a pillar of zero trust architecture implementation as more government agencies and military commands turn to the new security model as part of cyber risk reduction and resilience efforts.

Under a Phase I SBIR award, the company showcased the potential of its technology to prevent unauthorized access to workload communications.

The first F-5N aircraft has been delivered to Naval Air Station Patuxent River in Maryland to kick off flight and ground tests of the redesigned F-5 tactical fighter jet as part of a prototyping project meant to improve readiness and safety.

The Navy’s Specialized and Proven Aircraft program office, PMA-226, will use the results from the tests to convert 16 F-5E and six F-5F aircraft purchased from the Swiss air force under the Avionics Reconfiguration and Tactical Enhancement/Modernization for Inventory Standardization program, Naval Air Systems Command said Monday.

The aircraft under the F-5 block upgrade prototype project will feature modernized avionics, cockpit and other systems that could provide fuel level warnings, protection from severe weather, air-to-ground warning functionality and other tactical capabilities that could enhance “friendly” force air-to-air training.

“This program will provide modernized aircraft with exceptional avionics and tactical capabilities which are needed to allow pilots to practice the tactics and techniques employed against a near-peer threat. Delivery of these improvements will ensure realistic and relevant tactical training the pilots need to win in combat,” said Capt. Ramiro Flores, PMA-226 program manager.

The delivered aircraft is one of the three F-5N planes that will be used as prototypes in the F-5 block upgrade project. PMA-226 finalized the ARTEMIS program's independent logistics assessment in June and expects to achieve a Milestone C decision in early fiscal year 2022.