The present invention relates to a vehicle arresting system comprising: a) a base layer comprising at least one compressible material; b) a carrier positioned and fixed by at least one fixation means on said base layer; c) a levelling layer positioned on and/or embedding said carrier; and d) a top layer.

Materials and structures for absorbing energy. The materials and structures are well suited for arresting aircraft and other vehicles, although their purposes need not be so limited. Also detailed are packaging and other solutions for maintaining system integrity, especially (but not exclusively) when foam glass or other aggregate is employed and stabilizing the location of the aggregate is desired.

A method of making a roadbed, including paving an area with foamed glass bodies to define a bed and covering the bed with a layer of cementitious material to define a composite bed. The composite bed is at least 85 percent foamed glass bodies. The composite bed has a cementitious surface.

A method for establishing a runway safety area adjacent a runway, wherein the runway safety area is a cement matrix having a plurality of foamed glass aggregate bodies suspended therein, including mixing cement and foamed glass aggregate bodies to define a composite material, forming the composite material into a runway safety area defining a plurality of foamed glass aggregate bodies suspended in a cement matrix, taxiing an aircraft over the runway safety area and crushing at least a portion of the runway safety area with the aircraft to bleed off the aircraft's kinetic energy, wherein the runway safety area has a crushing failure mode.

The present invention provides a unique system to deliver packages from aerial vehicles to the ground through the use of a sophisticated guidance system and impact-absorbing catching mechanism. The new systems and methods of the present invention provide package delivery from manned and unmanned aircraft that is fully automated and reliably accurate to deliver a package to a ground station operable to receive the package in the catching mechanism.

An aircraft arrestor system which provides a controllable deceleration force for an aircraft during an overrun event is disclosed. The arrestor systems arrest aircraft movement by creating a controllable deceleration force or drag force on the aircraft's landing gear. The aircraft arrestor system comprises an arresting medium which is contained by a plurality of adjacent containment cells. The arresting medium comprises smooth and rounded expanded glass particles which are loose and unbroken. The particles also have a controlled size range of about 0.04 inches to about 0.75 inches, and at least about 75% of the particles have a minimum size which is not less than about of the size of the largest particles.

Described herein are apparatuses that provided various features related to unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). An example apparatus may include, among other features, (i) a launch system for a UAV, (ii) a landing feature that is arranged on the apparatus so as to receive the UAV when the UAV returns from a flight, and (iii) a mechanical battery-replacement system that is configured to (a) remove a first battery from the UAV, and (b) after removal of the first battery, install a second battery in the UAV.

A method of slowing an aircraft overrunning a runway, including paving an area immediately beyond the end of a runway with foamed glass bodies to define a bed, covering the bed with a layer of cementitious material to define a composite bed, and crushing at least a portion of the composite bed with an oncoming aircraft, wherein crushing the at least a portion of the composite bed removes kinetic energy from the oncoming aircraft to slow the oncoming aircraft. The composite bed is generally resistant to fire.

Various embodiments of the present disclosure provide a parasail-assisted system for launching a fixed-wing aircraft into free flight and for retrieving a fixed-wing aircraft from free flight.

A method of making a roadbed, including paving an area with foamed glass bodies to define a bed and covering the bed with a layer of cementitious material to define a composite bed. The composite bed is at least 85 percent foamed glass bodies. The composite bed has a cementitious surface.