Digital learning environments create a dynamic and engaging learning and teaching context that promotes a deeper understanding of complex concepts, eases the teaching process and fosters a passion for learning. Moreover, integrating interactive materials into pilot courses can assist teachers in better assessing student learning and adjusting their teaching strategies accordingly. The teachers can also receive valuable insights into students’ strengths and weaknesses, allowing them to provide targeted support and intervention when needed. For students from the defence and security fields, digital learning environments can create realistic simulations and virtual training scenarios that allow students to practise their skills in a controlled and safe environment, develop hands-on experience, and enhance their decision-making abilities without the need for real-world training exercises. In this context, the purpose of this paper is to introduce an approach for solving mathematical problems embedded in technical scenarios within the defence and security fields with the aid of digital technology using different software environments such as Python, Matlab, or SolidWorks. In this way, students can visualise abstract concepts, experiment with different scenarios, and receive instant feedback on their understanding. At the same time, the use of didactic and interactive materials can increase the interest among students and teachers for utilising mathematical models and digital technologies in the educational process. This paper also helps to reinforce key concepts and enhance problem-solving skills, sparking curiosity and creativity, and encouraging active participation and collaboration. Throughout the development of this proposal, based on survey analysis, good practices are presented, and advice for improvement is collected while having a wide range of users giving feedback, and participating in discussions and testing (pilot) short-term learning/teaching/training activities.

Today, there is a conspicuous upward trend for the development of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), especially in the field of multirotor drones. Their advantages over fixed-wing aircrafts are that they can hover, which allows their usage in a wide range of remote surveillance applications: industrial, strategic, governmental, public and homeland security. Moreover, because the component market for this type of vehicles is in continuous growth, new concepts have emerged to improve the stability and reliability of the multicopters, but efficient solutions with reduced costs are still expected. This work is focused on hexacopter UAV tests carried out on an original platform both within laboratory and on unrestricted open areas during the start–stop manoeuvres of the motors to verify the operational parameters, hover flight, the drone stability and reliability, as well as the aerodynamics and robustness at different wind speeds. The flight parameters extracted from the sensor systems’ comprising accelerometers, gyroscopes, magnetometers, barometers, GPS antenna and EO/IR cameras were analysed, and adjustments were performed accordingly, when needed. An FEM simulation approach allowed an additional decision support platform that expanded the experiments in the virtual environment. Finally, practical conclusions were drawn to enhance the hexacopter UAV stability, reliability and manoeuvrability.

An important problem in studying the sloped rocket launch is to determine the oscillations and their effects on the initial conditions of the rocket path. This phenomenon influences the stability of the launching device and the firing precision. It is assumed that the launching device and the moving rocket form a complex oscillating system that join together into a sum of rigid bodies bound by elastic elements (the vehicle chassis, the tilting platform and the rockets in the containers). The calculations of the launching device oscillations during the launch by numerical methods are presented

The ignition performances of percussion primers for small calibre ammunition are determined using a new experimental setup, with pressure transducers and special designed combustion chambers. The method enables a comparison of new designed primers with consecrated models by relative ignition capacity. Results show that ballistic performances of primers are in direct relationship with the gradient pressure vs. rise time and also with the maximum pressure developed inside the cartridge chamber.