Month: August 2020

 

The collaboration yielded an innovative electronic receiver and satellite computer for the ADELIS-SAMSON Project;

 

Three nano-satellites are to perform autonomous formation flight

 

 

A close technological and research collaboration between the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology and Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) has yielded an advanced electronic receiver that constitutes a unique development in the nano-satellite category. The collaboration was part of Technion’s “ADELIS-SAMSON” project, in which three nano-satellites will be launched into space in December. The three satellites, which will fly in an autonomous formation without human intervention, are tasked with receiving signals from Earth and detecting their precise location for search and rescue, remote sensing, and environmental monitoring missions. The software and algorithms that control the flight were developed at Technion’s Distributed Space Systems Lab in the Asher Space Research Institute.

 

 

The electronic receiver, developed and built especially for the “ADELIS-SAMSON” project by ELTA Systems, an IAI division and subsidiary, picks-up, identifies, and records signals from Earth. It comprises an information processing system that calculates the location of the transmission. The miniature system was developed particularly for nano-satellites in order to extend the scope of the missions they can perform. The system integrates with the three mission computers developed by IAI’s MABAT Division.

 

The “ADELIS-SAMSON” project is headed by Professor Pini Gurfil, head of the Asher Space Research Institute and a faculty member in Technion Faculty of Aerospace Engineering and with the support of the ADELIS Foundation and the Israel Space Agency in the Ministry of Science and Technology.

 

“We worked closely with IAI engineers on this development for more than five years,” said Prof. Gurfil. “The project showcases the benefits of academy-industry collaboration, which yielded an outstanding result in the form of an innovative space-borne system. We thank IAI engineers for their professionalism and commitment. The system we co-developed places ADELIS-SAMSON at the forefront of nano-satellite technology.”

 

IAI CEO, Nimrod Sheffer, said, “The new development will help promote a new space research area. Collaboration with the Technion and other academic institutions is invaluable to us, as it promotes academic research and our future technological ventures. The receiver developed for this project offers a new way for space geo-location of ground electromagnetic signals. It is based on IAI’s extensive engineering know-how and experience in satellites, electronic warfare, intelligence interpretation systems, and communication networks.”

 

Asher Space Research Institute researchers who worked with IAI’s engineers in the project included Avner Kaidar, Hovik Agalarian, Eviatar Edlerman, Dr. Alex Frid and Prof. Pini Gurfil.

 

The ADELIS-SAMSON project is supported by the ADELIS Foundation, the Goldstein Foundation, and Israel’s Space Agency. Other parties involved in the project include Israel’s Space Agency, RAFAEL, and IAI.

 

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In the photos:

 

1. The nano-satellite electronic receiver for
2. Hovik Agalarian, Chief Electronics Engineer of the Asher Institute of Space Research, with the new receiver

(Credit: Sharon Tzur, Technion’s Spokesperson Office)

Ministry of Defense Spokesperson’s Statement

The Israel Missile Defense Organization in the Ministry of Defense and the U.S. Missile Defense Agency Have Successfully Completed a Flight Test of the Arrow 2 Weapon System.

 

Minister of Defense, Benny Gantz: “Our ‘elite technological unit’ ensures that we will always be one step ahead of our enemies.”

 

The Israel Missile Defense Organization (IMDO), of the Directorate of Defense Research and Development (DDR&D), in the Israel Ministry of Defense, together with the American Missile Defense Agency (MDA), and the Israeli Air Force (IAF), have completed a successful test of the Arrow-2 weapon system overnight (12.8), at 11:45 p.m. The test was led by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) and conducted at a site located in central Israel.

 

Throughout the test, the Arrow-2 system successfully engaged a Sparrow target missile, which simulates a long-range surface-to-surface missile. The campaign was conducted in accordance to the defense establishment’s plans.

 

Defense Minister, Benny Gantz: “Israel must face challenges both near and far, and our ‘elite technological unit’ led by the DDR&D, IAI, and additional defense industries, ensures that we will always be one step ahead of our enemies, and that we will defend Israeli skies from any threat.”

 

The joint Israeli-American test reflects the partnership and friendship between the two countries as well as the deep commitment of the United States to the safety of the citizens of Israel. We will continue to work together to strengthen the capabilities of the defense establishment in the air, land and sea, as well as in cyberspace.

 

During the test, the updated capabilities of the Arrow system to contend with current and future threats, were validated. The interception was conducted by IAF service members together with engineers from the institutions involved in the system’s development. The various layers of Israel’s air defense mechanism were employed in this test, in order to ensure their readiness and efficacy in operational scenarios.

 

This successful interception test joins a series of additional achievements, including the Arrow-3 test campaign conducted by the IMDO and MDA last year, in Alaska.  Both systems demonstrated advanced operational capabilities. The integration of both systems in Israel’s air defense mechanism significantly expands and enhances the state’s capability to defend against current and future threats.

 

 

 

Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) has performed Frame Fitting STA.663.75 (Pickle Fork) replacement for a Boeing 737-800 Aircraft.

As part of a routine C-Check for the aircraft, conducted at BEDEK MRO facility (part of IAI  Aviation Group), An AD mandated inspection was performed to detect cracks in the Pickle Fork Frame Fittings, which extend from the Main Deck to the aircraft Landing Gear Bay. During the inspection, a crack was discovered on the lower section of the left Pickle Fork at station 663.75.

 

Due to this finding, the IAI team was required to remove and replace the Pickle Fork fittings on both sides of the aircraft for the first time, at IAI, on a Boeing 737 NG. The replacement procedure is complex and requires extensive engineering work (no formal instructions have been published by Boeing) and involves the joint effort of a very highly skilled Sheet Metal team, and  B1 & B2 engineers. The work was successfully accomplished in full coordination with the Boeing Company.

 

Yossi Melamed, IAI EVP, and General Manager of the Aviation Group, “Israel Aerospace Industries serves as Israel’s foremost Aviation and Aerospace center of knowledge, expertise and excellence, and has lead the industry with vast experience in these fields for almost 70 years, especially in the fields of aviation structures, aircraft conversion, modifications, overall maintenance (MRO) operations and more. The successful replacement of the frame fitting is one of the  crucial and important MRO capabilities IAI is capable of, enbling the company to meet the hightest standards for customers.”

 

In the pictures:

1. Old vs. new pickle fork
2. Completed installation main deck view
3. Completed installation wheel well view
4. Re-installation of mechanical system