Airbus Defence & Space SpacePlane demonstrator

[Deino]

Airbus Defence & Space tests SpacePlane vehicle

http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/pictures-airbus-defence-amp-space-tests-spaceplane-vehicle-400050/

Airbus Defence & Space has tested a SpacePlane demonstrator vehicle dropped from a helicopter 100km off the coast of Singapore.
The work took place in early May and involved hoisting the vehicle aloft from a barge with an Airbus Helicopters AS350 Ecureill helicopter and then releasing at 3,000 metres, says Airbus Military in a statement.
Upon release, it was guided down to the sea by a controller aboard the barge and later picked up. The work involved seven ships, and was supported by Singapore’s Economic Development Board.
The test was designed to explore the vehicle’s end-of-flight phase after a return from outer space.
“The quarter-scale demonstrator used in the tests was built in partnership with HOPE Technik and Airbus Group Innovations, the corporate network of research centres of Airbus Group,” adds Airbus.

 

[antigravite]

Hi there.

Airbus filled several (now published) related patents. I even found one dated from 2007 for a "Siège de véhicule spatial et véhicule spatial équipé de ce siège" (Spacecraft seat and spacecraft equipped with such seat), but this is really old stuff.

What IS interesting, from my perspective, is some sort of noticeable shift in the way Airbus / EADS protect and value their industrial property. Here are 2 examples out of 309 (search completed a few minutes ago, so let us consider search results accurate to this very day):

• METHOD FOR THE PRODUCTION OF A CONNECTING ELEMENT, CONNECTING ELEMENT, AND AIRCRAFT OR SPACECRAFT / (US2014166811 (Patent application)
• DOOR FRAME CONSTRUCTION, FUSELAGE PORTION AND AIRCRAFT OR SPACECRAFT / US2014054418 (Patent application)
• etc. (309 other similar examples)

For what it's worth, this IP shift is contextually interesting as it shows a blur (unification) of air and space technical "stuff from a legal (patent) point of view. A few years back, patent attorneys would draw a thick and solid line between those two fields. But now this goes smoother, setting more than a trend. This should be studied further, it's only a noticeable shift from my vantage point of view.

Hope this helps.

 

[Grey Havoc]

http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/09/16/us-airbus-defence-idUSKBN0HB0H220140916

I wonder what effect, if any, this will have?