The Air Force Research Lab has funded continued development for General Electric Aviation’s work on the Adaptive Versatile Engine Technology (ADVENT) program, the company announced Oct. 20. AFRL expects the program to advance the state-of-the-art in turbine engine technology. GE had worked on ADVENT since its beginning in 2008, providing preliminary and detailed design, analysis, and risk-reduction activities under Phase I. The Phase II effort, expected to run through 2012, will demonstrate several key technologies, including “a hot section featuring ceramic matrix composites, demonstration of a high-pressure ratio core and an advanced variable pressure ratio fan, and GE’s next-generation cooled turbine,” said Jeff Martin, GE’s ADVENT general program manager.
The use of a military counter-drone laser on the southwest border this week—which prompted the Federal Aviation Administration to abruptly close the airspace over El Paso, Texas—will be a “case study” on the complex web of authorities needed to employ such weapons near civilian areas and the consequences of agencies…
