Esper: Flat budget could speed cutting of legacy programs

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  11 octobre 2019 | International, Aérospatial

  NFAC Tests Next-Generation Military Helicopter

  Wind Tunnel Test Designed To Validate The Aerodynamic Performance And Flight Mechanics Of Sikorsky's X2 Technology Aircraft The U.S. Army is looking to improve its aviation technology and recently called upon the AEDC National Full-Scale Aerodynamics Complex at Moffett Field in Mountain View, CA, to advance this effort. Engineers from Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation and The Boeing Company, in partnership with the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Aviation & Missile Center Army Aviation Development Directorate, recently conducted a series of tests at NFAC to support the development of the SB>1 DEFIANT, a military helicopter being developed for the Army's Joint Multi-Role Technology Demonstrator (JMR TD) program. The goal of this wind tunnel test was to validate the aerodynamic performance and flight mechanics of Sikorsky's X2 Technology aircraft. These configurations, which are being utilized on the SB>1 DEFIANT, include a lift-offset coaxial rotor system, composite fuselage and rear-mounted pusher propulsor that provides increased speed. The SB>1 DEFIANT, which made its first flight in March, is a technology demonstrator for a medium-lift utility helicopter. Future uses of this type of air vehicle could include attack and assault, troop transport or MEDEVAC. The testing was conducted throughout the first half of 2019 and concluded in mid-June. To accomplish the tests, a 1/5 scale model of the SB>1 DEFIANT airframe with powered coaxial main rotors was placed in the NFAC 40- by 80-foot wind tunnel. Measurements included forces and moments on the various components, as well as fuselage, empennage and blade surface pressures. David Wang, NFAC test engineer, said the recent tests expanded on data collected from a JMR wind tunnel entry conducted at NFAC in 2016 by gathering data at faster speed ranges. “From the NFAC perspective, the wind tunnel test was successful,” Wang said. “The test customer was able to collect performance and handling qualities data for their subscale model up to their maximum design flight speed.” Data collected during the recent tests is undergoing review and analysis. It is unknown at this time if there will be future testing of the SB>1 DEFIANT model at NFAC. The full-scale SB>1 DEFIANT flight demonstrator is currently undergoing ground and flight tests at Sikorsky's flight test facility. According to the Sikorsky-Boeing JMR Team, data from SB>1 DEFIANT will help the Army develop requirements for new utility helicopters expected to enter service in the early 2030s. A previous DOD study concluded that upgrades to the aging DOD rotary wing aviation fleet would not provide the capabilities required for future operations. Significant improvement in several attributes of fleet aircraft, such as speed, payload, range, survivability and vertical lift are required to meet future needs. It was determined this improvement could be achieved through application of new technologies and designs. To accomplish its goal, the Army has been executing a science & technology (S&T) effort to mitigate risk associated with maturity of critical technologies, feasibility of desired capabilities and cost of a technical solution. An aspect of this effort is the air vehicle development associated with the JMR TD program. JMR TD is the alignment of Army Aviation's S&T with the Future Vertical Lift initiative, which seeks to develop a new family of system to modernize and replace the government's current fleet of rotorcraft. According to the Army, the intent of the JMR TD is to mitigate risk for the Future Vertical Lift program through means that include the testing of advanced technologies and efficient vehicle configurations. NFAC, managed and operated by Arnold Engineering Development Complex (AEDC), is the largest wind tunnel complex in the world. It consists of both the 40- by 80-foot and 80- by 120- foot wind tunnels. These tunnels, which share a common drive system, are primarily used for aerodynamic and acoustic tests of rotorcraft and fixed wing, powered-lift V/STOL aircraft and developing advanced technologies for these vehicles. Both subscale and full-scale models are tested at NFAC. The speed range of the 40- by 80-foot wind tunnel test section is continuously variable from 0 to 300 knots, while the speed range in the 80- by 120-foot wind tunnel section is continuously variable from 0 to 100 knots. http://www.aero-news.net/index.cfm?do=main.textpost&id=021bcb83-4df9-4253-b7a3-ff3805b7b16a

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  16 mai 2018 | International, Aérospatial

  Saab Held Today its Annual Gripen Seminar

  Seminar can be viewed at: http://saab-seminar.creo.se/180516/annual_gripen_seminar_2018 Article on Skies Magazine: Saab positions Gripen E as Canada's next-generation fighter Saab Group is confident that its single-engine Gripen E remains a viable contender for Canada's next generation fighter aircraft fleet, even though there are currently no immediate plans for Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) pilots to actually fly the aircraft. This was according to Richard Smith, head of Gripen marketing and sales during a May 16 briefing on Gripen market opportunities worldwide. He confirmed the planned visits included “site surveys and also some more senior visits as well, but at the moment, no plans for a flight evaluation.” He offered no details on who specifically would be visiting, but welcomed a suggestion that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau could be on the list. Canada is one of a number of countries Saab is targeting as a customer for the Mach 2 delta wing/canard fighter, the first variation of which entered service with the Swedish Air Force in 1997. Development of the Gripen E, featuring a General Electric F414G engine and an upgraded electronic warfare system (EWS), began about 2014 and it was first flown in June 2017. It is now said to be on track for delivery to the Swedish and Brazilian air forces. Smith said he expected that “continued dialogue so far this year” with Canadian government representatives was setting the stage for an early draft proposal, possibly in the third quarter of 2018, followed by the government's request for proposal for 80 aircraft early next year. He said the Gripen is suitable for all RCAF operations, including the high north, the Arctic and forward operating bases, which he said are “very similar to what we have in Sweden.” He later added that Saab would “tailor” its offering to Canada, as it would to other prospective customers with different operating environments. “Value for money, the industrial packages, that's what makes the Gripen rather unique and rather attractive.” On the seminal Canadian question about the reliability of a single-engine aircraft in Arctic and maritime missions, Gripen test pilot Mikhal Olsson said it had never been an issue. “I've been flying fighter aircraft since 1996 and I've been stationed . . . up in the Arctic,” he said. “I've been flying over the Atlantic, I've been flying across the sea eastbound to India (Saab is proposing the Gripen for the India Air Force), and every time I've been in a single-engine jet. I've never, ever, been worried about the engine [due to built-in redundancies]. “We have a really reliable system.” Olsson also said that as a “smart fighter” with net-centric technologies, a new sensor suite and long-range weapons, the E model is tailored to an “much more hostile and . . . much more unpredictable” operational environment where “new conflicts arise and disappear much quicker that we've seen before.” Gripen EWS sales director Inga Bergstrom added that electronic warfare was not the aircraft's primary function. Rather, EWS was “an enabler to . . . a successful mission” and because it was upgradeable software, it could deal with evolving threats. Asked about having to compete in some markets with used aircraft, Smith said these were, at best, an interim solution. “We're going to operate it for 30 to 40 years,” he replied. “Second-hand fighters . . . need to be replaced after maybe 10 years, and the capability that we bring is somewhat different to those old fighters. . . . Even though there has been, as you say, some headwind recently, I remain very optimistic about the outlook for Gripen both short term and longer term.” Jonas Hjelm, head of Aeronautics at Saab, acknowledged that although the company can't compete with used fighters because of the price difference, he agreed that the upgradeable Gripen could be operated for potentially more than 40 years without having to go through a new acquisition process, so the total package “makes sense for very many of the countries that are now in process of actually selecting a new fighter system.” Asked how the Gripen could compete with “stealth” platforms, Hjelm declined comment on competitors' aircraft but conceded that it was a difficult challenge. Calling stealth a “fashion word,” he said that while the newest Gripen variants have “stealth features,” Saab has chosen “different paths to have a low signature.” Besides, with “every smart technique you come up with to defend yourself, there will be a pushback from the other side to detect you . . . . We continue all the time to see what we can develop . . . to become more invisible.” https://www.skiesmag.com/news/saab-positions-gripen-e-canadas-next-generation-fighter/

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  14 avril 2022 | International, Aérospatial

  Military considers three states for permanent Space Force training HQ

  Officials will compare bases in Colorado, California and Florida to host the space training mission.