French aircraft manufacturing company Dassault Aviation has inaugurated its new pyrotechnics facility at the Martignas-sur-Jalle site
the company’s pyrotechnic activities were based in Argenteuil and Poitiers and all these have been shifted to the new facility in Martignas
The new pyrotechnics facility consists of a 2,500m² tripod-shaped building
with each wing dedicated to a specific function
The first wing is dedicated to the production of long products (cutting cords
the second wing for the manufacture of pyromechanisms and initiators
and the third wing for design study activities and test laboratories
The facility also includes a bunker for safe storage of explosive components
Dassault Aviation chairman and CEO Eric Trappier said: “Aeronautical pyrotechnics is a rare
The relocation of this activity to Martignas is fully in line with our transformation plan
This plan aims to make our company more flexible and competitive
Today’s ceremony marks another successful step in our transformation.”
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Pyrotechnics is a key contributor to the safety of fighter pilots
as it facilitates the instantaneous transmission of the ejection signal and ensures that the canopy shatters to allow the ejection seat to pass through
The company said that pyrotechnics is used on space launch vehicles for engine ignition
It is also used for ejection of satellite and deployment of solar panels and antennas
Dassault Aviation said that this is achieved using computer-controlled pyrotechnic systems
The company deploys these competencies on Ariane 5
Dassault Aviation has delivered more than 10,000 military and civil aircraft
Dassault Aviation has been involved in the design
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The secondary runway at Bordeaux airport is likely to be renovated
according to reports that the Transport Ministry has made a decision after years of debate
have been campaigning for closure of the second runway because of the additional noise from low-flying aircraft
A spokesman for the Pessac municipality said: “In summer
25% of the flights from Bordeaux airport now use the second runway
while 20 years ago only around 2% of the flights did.
there was no need to mention the noise nuisance from the airport
but now it is obligatory because of the increase in noise.”
estimates that 49,000 people are affected when the second runway is used.
2,200 more people in the communes of Eysines and Haillan would be exposed to additional aircraft noise because some aircraft would have to wait to land
the decision (which the Transport Ministry did not confirm to The Connexion) is unlikely to have an impact on international flights
The airport lists eight UK and Irish destinations
if there are protests they could disrupt access to the airport (the access road has already been blocked by demonstrations in the past)
The airport told The Connexion that it had not been informed of any decision
Read more: New Bordeaux-Edinburgh flight route announced by easyJet
A move to renovate the second runway is also likely to heighten tensions between the government and Bordeaux city
He is pushing for more investment in TER commuter trains for the city or on a TGV line between Bordeaux and Toulouse
Recent power cut in Spain and Portugal is warning to holidaymakers to ensure they are prepared for worst-case scenario
Fears of a ‘black week’ on the network have been widely dismissed - although regional lines will see cancellations
The May 8 bank holiday and weekend is a busy time for travel in France
Aristos is a Newsweek science and health reporter with the London
He is particularly focused on archaeology and paleontology
although he has covered a wide variety of topics ranging from astronomy and mental health
Aristos joined Newsweek in 2018 from IBTimes UK and had previously worked at The World Weekly
He is a graduate of the University of Nottingham and City University
You can get in touch with Aristos by emailing a.georgiou@newsweek.com. Languages: English
either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter
or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources
Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content
in collaboration with several universities and small companies
are developing a non-lethal laser weapon which can send voice commands or burn people's skin to repel targets over long distances
Known as the Scalable Compact Ultra-short Pulse Laser Systems (SCUPLS)
the technology could be employed on small tactical vehicles and other platforms to be used in situations such as crowd control
chief scientist from the DoD's Joint Non-Lethal Weapons Directorate
one of which shoots incredibly short pulses of focused infrared light lasting one quadrillionth of a second
This laser fires a series of pulses to rip electrons from the air
creating an invisible and inert ball of plasma—a fourth state of matter made up of ionized gas—near or on the target
the second detonator laser shoots slightly longer pulses of infrared light towards the plasma ball
creating a series of flash-bangs with three different effects
the detonation will produce a simple voice command to communicate a warning—such as "Halt
Go no further!"—at distances of up to around 330 feet
At higher intensities the weapon will be capable of producing a visual and audible alarm tone which could temporarily dazzle and deafen targets
the laser will be able to produce localized heating of the skin to inflict pain on the victim
"The capability's flashbang effects will warn human targets—on vehicles or vessels or on foot—not to approach," Law told Newsweek
"Research is intended to yield a capability that can generate approximately ten detonations per second."
"If the threatening target continues to approach a military position
then the warfighter can escalate the force and place the plasma on the target to create non-lethal repel effects," he said
"The ability to deliver intelligible voice commands (in the target's specific language) at very long ranges also provides a long-range hail and warn capability with minimal force."
In order to ensure that the weapon will not cause permanent damage to the target
says that the lasers and optics must be agile enough to control the effects
so the user knows exactly what power is being delivered
"Exhaustive human studies are being performed until we fully understand the risk characterization of each of SCUPLS' effects and the associated risk of significant injury," he said
"The final system design will undergo rigorous evaluation by a Laser Safety Review Board (LSRB) to certify the system will perform as predicted without causing undue harm
"The LSRB is the DoD's clearinghouse to ensure lasers do not exceed safety thresholds or interfere with radios and other equipment."
the weapon system is still in its early stages and a new generation of ultra-short pulse lasers will have to be developed before it can be viably produced
SCUPLS is not the only new laser weapon system being developed by the DoD
several systems involving 100 KW lasers which have much longer pulse lengths (microseconds or longer) are in the works
These will be capable of "burning" through various materials in seconds
causing much more physical damage to the target
Ultra-short pulse lasers operate with much shorter pulse lengths and do much less damage as a result
their average power consumption is much lower
thus they can be powered by smaller and lighter power systems
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