Abstract: An avionics unit assembly for an aircraft can include an avionics unit (e.g., an underwater locator device, “ULD”), and a battery to power the avionics unit. The avionics unit assembly can further include a housing that encases the avionics unit and the battery. The housing includes a vent port for exhausting an emission from the housing during a failure of the avionics unit. The avionics unit assembly can further include one or more of a suppressor that filters the emission, a shield element that is resistant to chemical and/or thermal effects of the emission, and a bracket for mounting the avionics unit to a surface. A method integrating the avionics unit assembly onto a forward aircraft bulkhead at a mount location under an aircraft radome and for manufacturing the avionics unit, and an aircraft including the avionics unit are also described.

Abstract: A method for estimating the thermal properties of surface materials using long-wavelength thermal imagery by exploiting the differential heating histories of ground points in the vicinity of shadows. The use of differential heating histories of different ground points of the same surface material allows the use of a single image acquisition step to provide the necessary variation in measured parameters for calculation of the thermal properties of surface materials.