Aerospace Testing

DECEMBER 2020
Inside this issue
// BIOMIMETICS
How the next generation of
efficient and sustainable
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contents
Global briefing
6 // World test update
The latest testing news
from around the globe
8 // owl Efficiency
Designs derived from birds and fish are
helping to improve aircraft efficiency
10 // hybrid-electric HIGHLIGHT
Firm advances testing of its new power
generation system in Florida
12 // EXPERIMENTAL F-35
Inside this issue
A first-of-kind test aircraft has been
delivered to the Israeli Air Force
14 // Gulfstream gains
The G700 test fleet grows to
five aircraft 18 // COVER STORY: Cargo time
Commercial approval for autonomous drones
moving cargo is progressing rapidly
24 // Natural inspiration
How engineers are drawing upon millennia of
evolutionary progress to design aircraft
18
24 30 // Testing talk: Anders Forslund
The CEO of Swedish startup Heart Aerospace
on the design and testing of its electric plane
36 // High-speed cameras
How digital image correlation is maturing as
a technique for testing strain
44 // A decade of testing
Engineers in Australia have completed a
36 14-year project studying the Hawk jet
58
50 // Layers of measurement
Advances in metrology are underpinning the
introduction of additive manufacturing
58 // Range development
The UK’s national network of weapons testing
sites is undergoing a transformation
17 // academic insight
Why quantifying sustainability
is vital for the sector
64 // products and services

The latest innovations and
company news
74 // aft cabin
A forgotten legend of WW2
is being brought back
30
AEROSPACETESTINGINTERNATIONAL.COM // DECEMBER 2020 3

editor’s view
// The team
// Reasons to be cheerful EDITOR Ben Sampson

(ben.sampson@markallengroup.com)
ASSISTANT EDITOR Paige Smith

The end of the year is a time for reflection 1960s. There is also unprecedented activity in
SENIOR ART EDITOR (MATERNITY) Louise Green
and while it is tempting to dismiss 2020 as the commercial space sector. Some 389 small ACTING SENIOR ART EDITOR Andy Bass
comprehensively bad, there is a broader analysis satellites were launched in 2019. There are at DESIGN CONTRIBUTORS Anna Davie, Julie Welby
that can be applied to the aerospace industry. least seven companies developing orbital and PRODUCTION
The pandemic has severely impacted sub-orbital systems for transport and tourism. Sejal Patel
commercial aviation. But the airline industry The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft’s historic trip to CIRCULATION MANAGER
has experienced more than two decades of the International Space Station last month topped Chris Jones
unprecedented growth. There were 1.45 billion off a year of great progress. There is much more PUBLICATION DIRECTOR
Tom Eames (tom.eames@markallengroup.com)
airline passengers in 1999, by 2019 this had more space activity planned during the next decade.
PUBLICATION MANAGER
than tripled to 4.54 billion. The only drops in that Finally, there is a lot of innovation happening Jag Kambo (jag.kambo@markallengroup.com)
time were during 2000-2001 after the dotcom bust across aviation, with numerous aircraft moving
EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Tom Stone
and in 2008, after the financial crisis. Both times from design to test. We have covered hundreds
recovery was swift. That money-making engine of R&D and test programs this year, from hybrid PUBLISHER Simon Hughes
(simon.hughes@markallengroup.com)
of the industry stalled again this year, but history electric propulsion and autonomous systems to
shows us that it will fire back up again quickly. supersonic aircraft and urban air taxis. Those COO Jon Benson
CEO Ben Allen
Secondly, the aerospace industry is more than looking for confirmation need look no further than
CHAIRMAN Mark Allen
airlines. Spending on defense is increasing. The UK the pages of this very magazine!
Government has added US$22 billion to its current So, as well as a time for reflection, the end of
annual budget of US$55.5 billion over the next four the year is for planning – and there is plenty to
years, the most it has been since the Cold War. In look forward to. Have a great Christmas and safe
the USA, defense spending is up nearly 20% since and prosperous New Year.
2016, with a US$696 billion proposal for 2021.
Thirdly, the space sector is growing. According Ben Sampson, A MARK ALLEN GROUP COMPANY
www.markallengroup.com
to the OECD, public space budgets around the editor Aerospace Testing International, ISSN 1478-2774 (print),
world are in excess of US$75 billion – the most ben.sampson@ ISSN 2397-6411 (online), (USPS 020-657) is published
in relative terms since the Apollo-era of the markallengroup.com quarterly by MA Business Ltd,
Hawley Mill, Hawley Road, Dartford, Kent, DA2 7TJ,
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Tel: +44 (0)1322 221144
Email: aerospacetesting@markallengroup.com
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// Contributors
written permission of the publishing director. The views expressed
do not necessarily represent those of the editor. The presence
of advertisements in Aerospace Testing International implies no
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made to ensure the accuracy of statements in this magazine but we
cannot accept responsibility for errors or omissions, or for matters
arising from clerical or printers’ errors, or an advertiser not completing
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Please read our privacy policy by visiting

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This will explain how we process, use and safeguard your data.
Nigel Pittaway Paul Willis David Hughes Printed in the UK by Pensord, Pontllanfraith, Blackwood, NP12 2YA
Nigel is an experienced Paul has been a David Hughes is an
freelance journalist journalist for the past 10 aviation writer with MOVING ON?
for aviation and 20 years at Aviation If you change jobs or your company moves to a new location,
years, writing for some
please contact circulation@markallengroup.com to continue receiving
defense publications of the UK’s largest Week magazine and 10 your free copy of Aerospace Testing International
worldwide. He is newspapers and in the FAA. He served
also a qualified leading magazines. as a USAF Reserve Average net circulation per issue
aircraft maintenance C-5 pilot. for the period January 1, 2019 to
engineer December 31, 2019 was 9,691
COVER IMAGE: Tiero / Adobe Stock
4 DECEMBER 2020 \\ AEROSPACETESTINGINTERNATIONAL.COM

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global briefing
WORLD
test update
//STARTUP RAISES FUNDS

AFTER ENGINE TESTING
//SKYRORA REACHES KEY
Aerospace startup Hermeus has
raised a further US$16 million to
develop its Mach 5-capable ENGINE TESTING MILESTONE
passenger aircraft after UK-rocket company Skyrora has
//TURBULENCE DETECTION
concluding testing of its conducted a series of static test
prototype engine. fires of its 3rd stage Low Earth
FOR HIGH ALTITUDE GLIDER The Atlanta, USA- Orbit engine including a vacuum
A series of flight tests for a based company, chamber test designed to
forward sensing turbulence which was founded READ mORE replicate space-like conditions.
ONLINE
//ABL SPACE PROGRESSES
detector that could significantly in 2018 will use the A total of 100 successful test
improve safety and comfort in funding to ground firings have been conducted by
commercial aviation are to be test the ROCKET TESTING the company at its Engine Test
conducted at Spaceport America full-scale engine that will California-based rocket Complex located in Fife,
in New Mexico. power the company’s first developer ABL Space Systems Scotland. Skyrora said that the
Stratodynamics HiDRON aircraft. Hermeus said it will has completed integrated stage engine, which will be used in
glider will be used for the test expand its Atlanta test facility to testing of the RS1 small-satellite its three-stage orbital
program, which involves enable light in-house launch vehicle. launcher Skyrora XL, has watch the
researchers from the University manufacturing and more test Testing was performed on passed all the necessary video online
of Kentucky and NASA Langley. capability and then conduct the RS1 second stage with the test criteria on schedule
The HiDRON is a stratospheric high-speed wind tunnel testing in-house designed E2 liquid for Skyrora XL’s planned
glider that ascends to altitudes across a full range of flight rocket engine at the Area first launch in 2023.
of 98,000ft on a balloon and then speeds, as well as continue to 1-56 test site on Edwards Air Skyrora’s Low Earth Orbit
descends to a pre-programmed advance the design of its Force Base. (LEO) engine has been designed
landing zone over several hours. aircraft, with more details to be Critical aspects of the test to be capable of re-igniting
The all-composite aircraft has released in the next few months. campaign included handling of numerous amounts of times in
been designed to carry different Hermeus began working with the propellant tanks, operating orbit. This will enable it to deliver
instrumentation and payloads to the US Air Force and the pressurant management payloads into different altitudes
enable atmospheric research. Presidential and Executive Airlift systems, and refining the stage and phases, as required for the
The two-week campaign test Directorate in July this year after arming and engine startup mission and acting as a ‘taxi’
campaign is the culmination of successfully testing its Mach 5 sequences, all of which were service to satellite customers.
an experimental NASA Flight engine prototype in February. accomplished successfully. This The primary purpose of
Opportunities project to validate According to Hermeus its latest test campaign builds on Skyrora’s test programme was to
a new method of forward engineers have designed, built the successes of eighteen verify the lifetime cycle
sensing turbulence detection and successfully tested its Mach months of extensive component, according to European Space
developed by the University of 5 engine prototype in nine engine and stage testing, said Agency (ESA) standards for their
Kentucky and NASA Langley. months. ABL Space Systems. 3.5kN LEO engine.
New Mexico, USA Atlanta, USA RS1 is scheduled for an initial Fife, Scotland
launch in the first quarter of 2021
from Vandenberg Air Force Base,
where ABL has received a Right
of Entry for LC-576E from the
30th Space Wing.
California, USA

global briefing
//BOEING POWERS UP LOYAL

WINGMAN DRONE
Boeing Australia powered up the
turbofan engine for its first Loyal
Wingman aircraft for the first time
// FRENCH FIRM TO REVIVE

as part of ground testing and
preparations for the unmanned
1930S AVIATION BRAND drone’s first flight.
// TÜV SÜD OPENS ITALIAN

Avions Mauboussin is developing The milestone comes shortly
a hybrid hydrogen-fuelled after Boeing completed the first
aircraft under the Mauboussin TESTING LABORATORY unmanned Loyal Wingman aircraft
French aviation brand from TÜV Italia has opened its for the Royal Australian Air Force
the 1930s. new testing laboratory earlier this year, a major step
The Belfort, France-based in Volpiano near Turin, read more forward for the unmanned vehicle
company was founded in 2017 incorporating its online serving as the foundation of the
and is developing two aircraft, facilities with industrial global Boeing Airpower Teaming
the Alérion M1h, a two-seater testing company Bytest at System, an artificial intelligence-
hydrogen hybrid, and the Alcyon a single site. powered teaming aircraft.
M3c, a six-seater hydrogen TÜV Italia, the Italian The aircraft is one of three
hybrid. Both are being designed subsidiary of TÜV SÜD, employs prototypes that will be developed
to be clean and silent short take more than 600 employees and as a part of the Loyal Wingman
off and landing (STOL) aircraft. has a network of 400 partners. program, which is one of the
Aircraft made by Pierre Bytest, which is focused on most advanced projects in the
Mauboussin in the 1930s broke industrial product testing and world to develop a manned
endurance and speed records non-destructive testing (NDT), unmanned teaming (MUM-T)
and were known for being was acquired by TÜV Italia in concept. MUM-T concepts involve a
efficient with low powered 2012. drone supporting a piloted aircraft
engines and aerodynamic TÜV Italia and Bytest’s during missions.
designs. facilities were previously located Boeing plans to conduct the
The first flight of the Alérion at different sites in Piedmont, Loyal Wingman’s flight this year.
M1h is planned for 2022. The Italy. The new buildings at Brisbane, Australia
company then plans to integrate Volpiano have equipment for
a hydrogen-powered turbine into product testing, NDT and other
the aircraft and fly and tests and analyses for the
certificate it by 2025. industrial sector.
Belfort, France The project to join the
laboratories was launched in
summer 2019 and according to
TÜV SÜD has created one of the
largest independent test
laboratories in Europe and the
For regular news updates:
largest in Italy.
Volpiano, Italy AerospaceTestingInternational.com

news
Nature points
the way to more
efficient flight
“What was most surprising was that

nobody had studied this before”
1 2
1 // The leading edge of the

hunting owl’s feathers were
© Martin - stock.adobe.com
found to feature finlets which

change the direction of air flow
to reduce noise
2 // The surface of fish skin
creates periodic velocity
modulation and a streaky flow
which results in transition delay

NEWS
T
he latest research examining the way owl feathers and “What was most surprising was that nobody had studied
fish scales interact with the flow of air and water around this before. We now have all the puzzle pieces together to
them is showing engineers how the next generation of show what the scales do to the flow.”
aircraft can fly smoother and faster to reduce noise and Creating transition delay from laminar to turbulent flow is
fuel consumption. key in increasing aerodynamic efficiency to reduce fuel
The latest research conducted at the City University of consumption and noise emissions.
London’s Aeronautics and Aerospace Research Centre (A2RC) Researchers used Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD)
has revealed how micro-structured finlets on owl feathers act modelling to reveal that fish skin produces a zig-zag pattern of
to enable silent flight and how the scales of fish reduce drag velocity streams that stabilizes base flow. Testing with the
by more than 25%. Laminar Water Tunnel using oil flow visualization involved a
The results are part of an ongoing series of biomimetic smooth flat plate and a flat plate covered with biomimetic fish
projects that combine numerical modeling and simulation scale arrays. The results were validated with the CFD.
with physical experiments conducted using the A2RC’s five
wind tunnels at City University of London, which are equipped OWL FEATHERS
with high-speed cameras and microphones. A separate study has examined 3D geometry data provided by
Christoph Bruecker, professor of aeronautical engineering RWTH Aachen University in Germany and high-resolution
at City University of London said, “Our research involves micro-CT scans of owl feathers, focusing on finlets on the
learning from nature to understand aerodynamic flow leading edge of the feathers. Bruecker said, “We had noticed
structure interaction better. It also covers sensing elements. how the curvature looks very regular like finlets, and might
“We borrow ideas from nature and apply them to affect near-field flow – we thought they must have a function.
engineering challenges. Fundamental to that is “These structures are not found in all owls, but only in
understanding the functional principles of aerodynamics at nocturnal hunting owls, because evolution has developed the
work and transferring them. If we just copied the ideas they feature as a biological advantage. That’s when it became clear
would not work. the finlets are there to noise.
“We use whatever tools we need to get the data we need – “It changes the flow direction in a very smooth way at the
sometimes an experiment may be quick and dirty and you get leading edge of the wing. It’s a similar effect to the zig-zag
the result quick. But sometimes you need a simulation pattern found with the scales, it delays the point when the
because the conditions aren’t easy to recreate. It’s always flow transitions into turbulence, counteracting the sweep of
good to prove a concept with a physical experiment.” the wing.”
Bruecker is the Royal Academy of Engineering’s research The effect is particularly effective with swept wings. The
chair in nature-inspired sensing and flow control for flow-turning effect was also investigated with experiments
sustainable transport and the Sir Richard Olver BAE Systems using an enlarged finlet model in the water tunnel.
chair for aeronautical engineering and has worked in the field According to Bruecker, the likeliest first application of the
of biomimetics since 2015. work will be to reduce the noise of drones using leading-edge
devices. This technology has already been developed to
FISH SCALES TRL 4-5. “We know what they have to look like and now have
The research into fish scales also used the Laminar Water to get them into testing,” he said.
Tunnel at the University of Stuttgart, a 20m (66ft) facility that “But by far the most difficult part of this work is getting
provides one of the lowest levels of background vibration people onboard to transition the research into industrial
possible, making it suitable for studying why flows change application. To advance we now need laser manufacturing
from laminar to turbulent at certain critical Reynolds numbers. facilities and specialists in microstructures before we can
Bruecker said, “We were able to confirm that the test in wind tunnels.” \\
overlapping scales create a more stable flow by generating
streaks that delay the transition from laminar to turbulent
flow further downstream.
AerospaceTestingInternational.com

NEWS
// The Iron Bird prototype is being

optimized for the next generation of
commercial electric aircraft
Hybrid-electric
powertrains combined with our experience
from the TriFan 600 program to create an
efficient, economical, profitable aircraft for
fleet operators worldwide.”
According to VerdeGo its diesel-hybrid
propulsion system
power system runs on Jet-A and uses
around 40% less fuel than competing
turbine-hybrid offerings, while providing
between four and eight times the endurance
of competing battery-only powertrains. It
passes first tests

is also compatible with bio-Jet
// XTI’s TriFan 200 is substitute fuels under development.
being developed in David Eichstedt, director of
partnership with advanced concepts at VerdeGo said,
VerdeGo
“Getting the Iron Bird running
validates the operating economics of
H
ybrid-electric propulsion developer VerdeGo Aero, which was founded in 2017 our diesel-hybrid power generation
VerdeGo Aero has completed first phase and is based in Daytona Beach, Florida is system and enables us to perform
testing of its Iron Bird generator system targeting the sub-1MW aerospace power hardware-in-the-loop simulations using
for use in ground-based testing. market with its hybrid-electric powertrain. mission profiles from our airframe
Engineers at the company have validated Possible applications in the category customers.”
the Iron Bird system at power output levels include aircraft being developed to transport “It’s a powerful way for customers to
above 150kW. The ground-based Iron Bird is cargo, fixed wing aircraft for thin haul validate the economics of their aircraft
built around the certified Continental CD-265 passenger operations, short-range corporate designs’ value proposition using real
high-efficiency diesel aviation engine and will travel, and cargo and other large drones. powertrain hardware without having to leave
be used for R&D. VerdeGo and XTI Aircraft are partnering on the ground.”
The first airborne customer applications the development of the TriFan 200 aircraft, an VerdeGo said it can provide proprietary
using VerdeGo’s system are planned to unmanned autonomous aircraft capable of software that uses data from the full-scale
commence next year. transporting 500 lbs (226kg) of cargo on hardware testing and includes a hybrid
The hybrid generator can be combined missions of more than 200 nautical miles. simulation model to airframers interested in
with battery packs to enable peak power The TriFan 200 is intended to ne used by using their system.
output up to 0.5MW and modular twin logistics companies shipping urgent cargo Matt Kollar, director of marketing and
generator systems can be stacked for 360kW and to connect global air cargo hubs with operations at VerdeGo said, “Our proprietary
continuous and 1MW peak output. distribution points throughout major cities. system architecture and the use of a piston
Robert LaBelle, CEO of XTI Aircraft said, “We diesel make VerdeGo’s system significantly
For regular news updates: are excited to be partnered with VerdeGo to more efficient than either turbine hybrids or
leverage their experience with hybrid Avgas piston hybrids.” \\
10 DECEMBER 2020 \\ AEROSPACETESTINGINTERNATIONAL.COM 9

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NEWS
First Experimental
F-35 delivered
to Israel
T
he Israeli Air Force has taken delivery of an New weapons affect aircraft in different ways and the
experimental F-35 test-aircraft, the first time an F-35 IAF’s FTC Squadron will run load testing, flutter tests, and
modified with experimental testing capabilities has release fluency tests to certify capabilities.
been supplied for use outside of the USA. Load testing examines the durability of the weapon and
The F-35 “Adir” (meaning strong and mighty in Hebrew) aircraft while performing complex maneuvers. During
arrived at the Israeli Air Force (IAF) Flight Testing Center flutter testing aerodynamic phenomenon that may
(FTC) Squadron, located at the Tel Nof Israeli Air Force endanger the jet are checked for. Release fluency testing
Base last month. examines the release process of munitions.
Like most air forces, the IAF modifies aircraft with its Lt. Col. Y. said, “To date, the only experimental F-35
own operating systems and munitions. However, this is models manufactured were aeromechanical testing
only possible to a certain extent with the F-35. aircraft of limited operational ability or testing models
Lt. Col. Y, Commander of the FTC Squadron said, “In the meant to examine specific systems. The arriving Adir
Adir program, the IAF doesn’t have access to everything, model has advanced aeromechanical testing capabilities
and cannot fully intervene. Therefore, we need to test it and full operational capabilities. Similar to other equipped
and adapt its weapons systems to the operational reality testing aircraft in the FTC, we could if necessary, convert
in the field. the model to an operational one.
“This experimental F-35 will act as the main building “The test model is the first-ever to be made in the USA
block for acquiring new flight capabilities and allow for per our request. Now, they will likely produce additional
independent installation of munitions.” aircraft based on the current model for themselves.” \\

NEWS
“The arriving Adir model has

advanced aeromechanical
testing capabilities”
Photo: Amit Agronov / Israeli Air Force


NEWS
// The G700 was launched in

October 2019 and is scheduled to
enter service in 2022
Gulfstream G
ulfstream has added two more G700 and conducted flutter testing, aerodynamic
aircraft to its fleet as the test and stall testing and envelope expansion tests.
certification program for its latest The aircraft has been flown beyond its
flagship business jet progresses towards maximum operating speed and cruise
its planned entry-into-service in 2022. altitude, reaching Mach 0.99 and an
flies fifth
The business jet manufacturer is now altitude of 54,000ft (16,459m).
operating five G700-test aircraft from its The G700 is powered by Rolls-Royce
base in Savannah, Georgia. There was just Pearl 700 engines and has a high-speed
three weeks between the first flights of the cruise speed of Mach 0.90 for 6,400
fourth and fifth test aircraft. nautical miles (11,853km) or at its
G700 test
Mark Burns, president of Gulfstream long-range cruise of Mach 0.85 for 7,500
said, “The G700 flight-test program is nautical miles (13,890km). The G700 also
progressing exceptionally well. We are includes the Gulfstream Symmetry Flight
steadily increasing flights, flight hours and Deck with electronically linked active
the completion of numerous company control sidesticks and uses touchscreen
aircraft
tests, further raising the bar for business technology and Gulfstream’s Predictive
aviation around the world.” Landing Performance System.
During its first flight the fifth G700 test The aircraft also features wellness
aircraft flew 3 hours and 8 minutes, features including 100% fresh, never
reaching an altitude of 48,000ft (14,630m) recirculated air, a low cabin altitude,
and a top speed of Mach 0.935. Engineers “whisper-quiet” noise levels and the option
will use the fifth aircraft largely for testing for a circadian lighting system.
of avionics. The cabin also features 20 panoramic
Since the G700’s maiden flight on oval windows in up to five living areas and
February 14, 2020, the G700 flight test team the Gulfstream-exclusive “ultragalley”
at Gulfstream has so far performed which provides more than 10ft (3m) of
cold-weather testing in the climatic counter space, as well as a master suite
laboratories at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, option with stand-up shower. \\
14 DECEMBER 2020 \\ AEROSPACETESTINGINTERNATIONAL.COM 9

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Academic insight
sustainable
solutions
Dr Naomi Allen, senior technologist -
whole aircraft from the Aerospace
Technology Institute, discusses the
need and ways to quantify and
measure the impact of environmental
improvements in aviation
H
istorically, the designers of each generation of aircraft have potential benefits of more radical technologies. Some
striven to develop an aeroplane that can do more than was assessments make these comparisons relative to existing
previously possible. Their designs have been able to fly aircraft, which is likely to give a false impression of the
further or faster, to carry more passengers or to let us travel in realizable benefit.
greater comfort. But the next generation of large aircraft is likely Our modelling demonstrates that a relatively conventional
to be the first where the goal is not to fly further and faster, but single-aisle aircraft could be developed that would deliver 32%
to deliver a similar capability in a more sustainable way. lower fuel burn relative to an equivalent aircraft in the year
The environmental impact of modern lifestyles is a growing 2000 (which is the baseline date for the ACARE goals). However,
concern for many people, and that change in attitude is being the ACARE goals scaled over the same timeframe suggest that
translated into government policy, as evidenced by changes by we should be looking for a reduction in
new legislation, such as the UK Government’s commitment to
net-zero emissions by 2050. In aviation, goals such as those set
emissions of more than 50%. Although
this level of fuel efficiency is a “a single-aisle
in ACARE’s Flightpath 2050 give specific targets for the
reduction of CO2 emissions. Considering the accelerating public
and political sentiment in this area, it seems prudent for the
substantial improvement on current
aircraft, it seems evident that it will not aircraft could
be developed
be possible to reach the level of
industry to treat these goals as a minimum requirement. The sustainability in aviation to which we
question then becomes how to achieve this and which aspire without looking beyond the
aerospace technologies have the greatest potential to
contribute to sustainable aviation.
evolutionary technologies and
improvements which are currently that would
At the Aerospace Testing Institute (ATI) in the UK we have
been modelling existing aircraft for several years and using
being developed.
To help position the UK’s aerospace deliver 32%
lower fuel burn”
these models to create tools such as the Fixed Trade Calculator industry for the future, the ATI has
– a way for the aerospace industry to evaluate the effect of created the FlyZero project, which aims
their technology development on fuel burn, operating cost and to answer some of the key questions on
CO2 emissions. We are now building on that capability to how to realize a zero-carbon emission
predict what the next generation of aircraft might look like and aircraft by the end of the decade, looking both at potentially
evaluate how their performance could stack up against disruptive technologies and market opportunities. Projects
environmental goals. such as FlyZero are vital, as it is clear that in order to meet
Our initial efforts are directed at modelling how conventional sustainability requirements, we will need to innovate further
tube and wing aircraft might develop, when evolutionary and faster. Investment in aerospace technology development
technologies currently under development and likely to be will be crucial if we are to meet our goals on sustainability, as
mature enough to enter service around 2035 are incorporated will attracting talent to the industry at a time when there is so
into the design. This is a critical first step in evaluating the much opportunity to have an impact. \\

DRONES
// DAVID HUGHES
Approved
18
to carry
With clear approval requirements and business cases, the rollout of
fully autonomous cargo aircraft has begun already
DECEMBER 2020 \\ AEROSPACETESTINGINTERNATIONAL.COM

C
DRONES
argo drones capable of transporting

heavy payloads are entering flight
test and some experts expect them
to start operational service before
air taxis carry passengers in urban areas.
“We think the market for this sort of unmanned
aircraft delivering cargo is going to happen before the
urban portion with passengers,” says Mike Blades, an
aerospace analyst with Frost and Sullivan who is focused
on the drone market.
Several cargo drones capable of carrying
hundreds or thousands of kilograms are in
flight test, as well as a Cessna Caravan
1 // The Robin XL eVTOL is aircraft equipped with an autonomous
being tested by Drone flight system.
Delivery Canada and can The flight testing and certification of
carry a maximum of 11.3kg purpose-built drones that won’t carry
of cargo up to 60km
passengers is simpler because of the
removal of a number of requirements,
such as seating and fire-resistant interiors.
Passenger-carrying air taxis also have to
provide a comfortable ride. The laws of physics
dictate that designers can’t get something for nothing –
if they want the air vehicle to be less reactive to
turbulence and provide a better ride, they have to
sacrifice another advantage. It’s therefore easier to design
a cargo drone, because cargo doesn’t care about the
comfort of a ride.
THE CLEAN SHEET APPROACH

Companies developing cargo drones include Sabrewing,
Volansi, Bell, EHang, Elroy Air, Astral Air (Flyox) and
Drone Delivery Canada. Boeing’s project is on hold. Some
are developing new drones from scratch and others are
automating existing general aviation aircraft. Several
plan to certify the new air vehicles or automation system
under the new FAA Part 23 rules for general aviation
aircraft to try to smooth the path to certification.
“The more an unmanned aircraft is like a manned
aircraft in size and capability – the more you look like a
Part 23 aircraft – the easier it is to certify,” says
Andy Thurling, chief technology officer for New York
state based NUAIR, which operates one of seven FAA
approved Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) test sites in
the USA. As a test pilot, Thurling led UAS testing for the
US Air Force and at NUAIR he has tested a variety of
drones for clients.
A challenge with UAS testing is the larger amounts
of data obtained compared to manned aircraft flight
testing. An effective plan is required to analyze it. “You
can have so much data you can miss the important stuff,”
Thurling says.
Ed De Reyes is the CEO and co-founder of Silicon
Valley based Sabrewing, which is developing a clean-
sheet heavy lift cargo drone. De Reyes began developing
the idea for the drone while he was running a charter
“The more an unmanned aircraft service last decade and often hauling cargo in
challenging conditions for the maximum amount of
is like a manned aircraft, the flying time . Sabrewing was launched in 2016 to create a
specialized drone that could be flown autonomously in
easier it is to certify”
challenging conditions and remote regions.
The company’s Rhaegal-B drone is intended is to be a
multi-use aircraft that can carry 4,500kg (10,000 lbs)

DRONES
2 // The Rhaegal-B “We are replacing the

brain and eyes of the pilot”
drone is designed to fly
in challenging conditions
to remote locations
2
either from a short takeoff run of 300ft or

using vertical takeoff and landing and a
range of 1,000 nautical miles (1,850km)
40 hours
of flight testing
Sabrewing has an order for 50 cargo
drones from one customer and in April
won a US$3.25 million under the US Air
avoid (D&A) capability and can be fitted
to manned general aviation aircraft to
convert them into remotely piloted air
depending on load. It uses four electric accomplished by Xwing Force’s Agility Prime program, which is cargo vehicles.
motor ducted-fans that can tilt to thrust for its autonomous supporting companies developing electric Xwing has already completed 40
downward for vertical flight and be faced flight system so far vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) air hours of flight testing with a Cessna 208B
forwards for cruise. As well as longer vehicles for civil and military Grand Caravan with a pilot, flight test
journeys the drone, which uses Jet-A, is
designed to fly shorter trips for package
delivery companies without frequent
1,850km
range of Rhaegal-B
applications. The company is currently
meeting with military flight readiness
and safety review boards to begin a flight
engineer and two Xwing engineering
analysts onboard. Having a pilot onboard
greatly reduces the engineering
refueling. The aircraft features folding cargo drone test program with its half-size prototype manpower needed on the ground to
wings, fold-up nose, full pallet-sized cargo and then a production model drone at support the flight test program. Data is
access and can carry two LD-1 standard Edwards Air Force Base. Tests begin this gathered on the aircraft and by telemetry,
airline cargo containers or three smaller year that will run for 12 months with with a complete download completed
LD-2s. in-kind support from the US Air Force as after landing and loaded into the cloud
Rhaegal-B has a customized landing part of Agility Prime. The FAA will for easy access to the information.
zone clearance system with LIDAR, radar, observe all of these flight tests. Xwing plans to begin commercial Part
Iris Automation cameras and artificial De Reyes says the test drone is 135 cargo flight operations soon with the
intelligence. A Garmin weather radar instrumented the same way a manned pilot-flown Caravans. The aircraft will fly
modified to perform a collision avoidance aircraft would be with strain and pressure a commercial cargo service, so engineers
role is being installed capable of detecting gages. None of the testing related to can collect data from an auto-flight
objects at a distance. The aircraft’s LIDAR having humans aboard an aircraft will be system not connected to the aircraft’s
is capable of seeing power lines, while it required. Lighting strike and hazards of flight control system. This real-world data
also features ADS-B, a terrain avoidance electromagnetic radiation to fuel (HERF) will be used to develop the autonomous
and warning system and a traffic alert testing will be required to make sure a systems faster. The flights will also give
and collision avoidance system. The strike will not bring the drone down. The the FAA a rich data set to help determine
remote pilot on the ground will supervise company plans to certify Rhaegal-B under how to certify autonomous systems for
the auto flight system and operate the Part 23 and fly it under Part 135 and Part previously manned aircraft.
drone using a remote keyboard rather 91. The aircraft will be able to fly an The auto flight system is designed to
than flying the air vehicle with a throttle approach to a runway to 200ft of altitude allow the aircraft to takeoff, navigate and
and a stick. If communications are lost 3 // Rhaegal-B will be in low visibility then slowly move over the land autonomously while an onboard
the drone will act autonomously to equipped with LIDAR, runway numbers to descend vertically and D&A system identifies airborne and
radar and Iris
complete the flight plan as filed while Automation cameras for
land with no forward speed. De Reyes ground-based hazards. The Caravans will
avoiding conflicts with other aircraft. automatic landing expects the aircraft to be able to takeoff or fly like any other aircraft following visual
land with zero ceiling and zero visibility. or instrument flight rules. The auto-flight
Once tests conclude at Edwards, system is not being designed for exclusive
Sabrewing will move the drone to St Paul use on the Caravan and can be applied to
Island, 770 miles (1,239km) west of other aircraft. Xwing is applying with the
Anchorage, Alaska, in the Bering Sea for Caravan for Part 23 certification as a
cold weather and low visibility testing. general aviation aircraft under
amendment 64 for innovative features not
THE RETROFIT APPROACH previously type certificated.
Meanwhile, another California-based “We are replacing the brain and eyes
startup is developing an autonomous of the pilot,” says Maxime Gariel, Xwing’s
flight system that includes detect and chief technology officer. Xwing plans to
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DRONES
4 // Drone Delivery
Canada’s Sparrow drone
use flight management
software that has an
integrated logistics
capability
over an area of about
1,800km2. “We bought a
shell airframe and a motor
for the helicopter and all of the
electronics and software are
developed by us,” CEO of DDC, Michael
Zahra says.
The patented Flyte flight
management system the aircraft are
using is agnostic and could be used on
other manned or unmanned aircraft.
4 D&A capability for the Toronto based
“We bought a shell airframe and a

depot-to-depot operations is provided by
ground-based radar systems. Flyte runs
all the systems on the helicopter and the
motor for the helicopter, but all of smaller drones. It also monitors air
traffic, weather and other sensor data
the electronics and software are that is displayed in an operations control

center as well as being a logistics system
developed by us” that tracks packages including

monitoring their temperatures.
The company has already tested the
Condor’s flight stability, fuel consumption
remove the pilot from Caravan cockpits route from depot-to-depot. A depot and the triple redundant autopilot,
within two to three years. usually consists of a warehouse or office navigation, communications systems. The
Gariel said the pilots on Caravan type location. The drone lands in an enclosure drone communicates via satellite, cellular
cargo aircraft that service package with access control, security cameras and and 900MHz RF. DDC plans for all
delivery outfits on feeder routes spend a weather station that is called a testing to be completed by the end of this
most of their day waiting at an outlying DroneSpot. Other larger drones now in year with Transport Canada approving
airport for cargo to arrive. Xwing plans in flight test will use the same scheme, but Condor for commercial use.
the future to have one remote pilot flying the companies drones can also drop Zahra says his company, unlike small
one Caravan to an airport on the East supplies at homes or in an open field for package delivery services being
Coast early in the morning, then shifting an emergency delivery. developed by other companies such as
to fly one in the Midwest, and later in the The company operates a Sparrow Amazon and Wing, can carry medium
day one in the Western United States. eVTOL that can carry up to 10 lbs (4.5kg) and heavy cargo medium and long
The remote pilots will use high level of cargo a maximum distance 18 miles distances. The company had two business
keyboard control of the cargo aircraft (30km) and. A Robin XL eVTOL drone is cases before the pandemic hit: moving
from one Xwing control center in the U.S. currently being flight tested that can time sensitive cargo and moving cargo to
“Eventually remote piloting will just be a carry a maximum of 25 lbs (11.3kg) of remote regions. Now it has added a third
supervisory role,” Gariel said. cargo up to 37 miles (60km). A Condor business case, contactless delivery. It has
The Xwing multi-sensor D&A system gasoline-powered helicopter, which is 22ft set up a depot on an island in Lake
has also been installed on a Bell APT 70 (6.7m) long by 5ft (1.5m) wide, capable of Huron for a native tribe that has decided
eVTOL cargo drone which has a 70 lbs transporting 396 lbs (180kg) of cargo up to self isolate.
(32kg) payload capacity. As part of a to 186 miles (300km) at 75mph (120km/h) Drone Delivery Canada just signed its
NASA program, the drone completed a is also being flight tested at an unmanned first international agreement with a
beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) flight test center in Alberta that includes startup company in Keyna to explore
demonstration this year in controlled airspace up to about 18,000ft (5,500m) cargo business opportunities there. \\
airspace in Texas.
OPERATIONAL TESTING
In Canada, six-year old company Drone
Delivery Canada (DDC) is already flying
cargo in autonomous drones with
approval from national regulator
Transport Canada. The company provides
a turnkey logistics service to customers
and owns the drones and infrastructure,
including a 24/7 operations control
center in Toronto. The company has a
half dozen customers so far and has been 4 // The Condor drone will be
earning revenue for more than six used to move medium and heavy
cargo and should be in use by early
months. The drones mostly fly a fixed
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BIOmiMETICS
// PAUL WILLIS
tu ra l
a
N ficiency
ef
re
m nature a tal
i
p ira tion fro hrough dig
ins st
that draw
g th eir idea
eers stin n
Engin ing and te rimentatio
lop x p e
deve ng and e
li
mode

BIOmiMETICS
“As fa
have r back as
been prehi
the ta lookin storic
ctics g m
and s to nature an, huma
organ tr a ns
isms ategies th nd copyin
in na
ture u at we see g
se”
specializes in biomimetics. He says the use of the natural

world and biology as inspiration for engineering dates
back to the dawn of human civilization.
“As far back as prehistoric man, humans have been
looking to nature and copying the tactics and strategies
that we see organisms in nature use for our own benefit,”
says Almon.
Aviation’s beginnings include the mythological figure
of Icarus fashioning wings from bird feathers, and
Da Vinci’s design for a flying machine that replicated the
motion of bird wings, ideas that take their cues from
nature. Modern aviation continues to draw upon the
natural world. The design of some high-performance jet
engines, for example, feature a metallic cone in the
opening of the engine which prevents stalling during
supersonic flight. In designing the cone, aerospace
engineers took inspiration from a similar design feature
on the nostrils of the Peregrine Falcon, which allows the
T
bird to continue breathing during high speed dives.
COPY OR INSPIRE?
An even more common example of biomimetic design
borrowed from birds of prey is the aircraft winglet. Nick
Cramer, a distributed spacecraft autonomy project
manager at NASA’s Ames Research Centre in California,
he Airbus project fello’ fly could have USA says, “If you watch birds of prey soaring, you’ll see
a dramatic impact on the way that their tip feathers are always pointing up. That is
commercial airlines operate. Fello’ fly aerodynamically very similar to what you’re doing with
involves two airlines, Frenchbee and the winglet.”
SAS Scandinavian as well as several European air As with wake-energy retrieval, the bird’s main
navigation service providers. They are working together strategy for tilting its tip feathers upwards is to conserve
to test the feasibility of applying wake-energy retrieval – energy, in this case by reducing drag. This is the same
a flying technique most commonly associated with reason the design feature found its way on to planes,
migrating geese – to large commercial aircraft. with tilted winglets helping to reduce fuel burn.
When geese fly in formation they expend nearly half “Nature is inherently efficient,” says Almon. “It has to
the energy they do when they fly alone, according to be, because resources are limited and constantly have to
some studies. Airbus engineers want to see if two aircraft be acquired.”
taking turns to fly in each other’s wake can create Many experts in the field of biomimicry prefer to
similar efficiency gains and reduce fuel consumption. make a distinction between biomimetic design, which
byrdyak@stock-adobe.com
The fello’ fly program is a leading example of exactly copies biological systems, and bio-inspired
biomimetics, a field of scientific inquiry that uses design, which uses those systems as inspiration to create
biological systems as the basis for developing materials something new.
and machines. Billy Almon is a self-titled “I would say until recently a lot of the innovations
astrobiofuturist, a discipline that explores biology- we’ve seen have just been inspired by nature, because it
inspired solutions to improve the human experience. He has been difficult to mimic exactly the structure and
works at Biomimicry 3.8, a US-based consultancy that texture of biological materials and forms,” says Vikram

BIOmiMETICS
Shyam, a biomimetics expert and researcher at NASA’s 1 // The V-formation of flying geese could
Glenn Research Centre in Cleveland, Ohio. be copied by airliners in the future to save
fuel during long flights thanks to Airbus’
fello’ fly research
SHARKS TO SEALS
However, advances in technology are making it easier to 2// The MADCAT wing during assembly,
mimic biological systems found in animals and our prior to being tested in NASA’s Langley
environment, says Shyam. For example, in 2017 Research Center’s 14 x 22ft wind tunnel
(Credits: NASA)
Lufthansa Technik and Airbus completed a joint research
program which developed a robotic system to coat 3 // The development of riblet surfaces that
airliner wings with a surface modeled closely on the skin will be applied to aircraft has been inspired
of sharks, whose riblet structure is known to reduce drag by the skin of sharks and promises to reduce
fuel consumption
as the sharks swim.
To illustrate clearly the difference between 4 // Billy Almon, astrobiofuturist –
biomimetic and bio-inspired design the shark skin wing a discipline that explores biology-inspired
solutions to improve the human experience
coating can be compared with another natural strategy
for reducing drag – the way penguins use air bubbles
when they swim. The shark skin coating is biomimetic
since it seeks to replicate nature, whereas research into
the penguin’s use of air bubbles is bio-inspired. Shyam 2
says, “The principle in that case is not so much the air
3
bubbles in the water, it’s changing the medium, because
air is less dense than water. So if you get inspired by the
penguins you might ask yourself: how can I somehow
change the medium in which my aircraft flies?”
Another aquatic creature that has caught the
attention of Shyam and his fellow researchers are seals,
specifically the shape and design of the animal’s
whiskers. “Seals in the Arctic detect their prey primarily
through vibrations in the water generated by the prey
that are picked up by the whiskers,” says Shyam. “These
pressure disturbances could be from any direction so the
whiskers have to be sensitive to multi-directionality.”
This sensitivity to multi-directionality is a sought-
after quality in turbine engine blades that operate at
multiple design points because, depending on the RPM,
the angle of incidence might change.
Shyam led a recent NASA study that used Computed
Tomography, microscopy and 3D-scanning techniques to 4
“Nature is inherently efficient

because resources are limited”

BIOmiMETICS
characterize the geometry of the whiskers for three

different species of seal. The team then created blades
NAVIGATING USING THE EARTH’S MAGNETIC FIELD
based on the whiskers that were tested in a wind tunnel. There are many things to marvel at in nature but few are as mind-bending as an
The ‘seal blades’ the team created showed “consistent emerging theory of how birds navigate. What makes the theory so extraordinary is
performance improvements over the baseline the involvement of quantum entanglement.
configuration,” says Shyam. Quantum entanglement is one of the great mysteries of science. Without
understanding why it happens, scientists have observed that two molecules can
MORPHING WINGS become completely synchronized or entangled, meaning that any change that
Operating out of the NASA Ames Research Centre, occurs in one of the molecules will instantly be repeated in the other, even when the
Cramer and his colleagues have been working on a molecules are physically separated.
technology they believe could more fundamentally alter According to the bird navigation theory being investigated by different researchers
the future of aircraft design. Known as Mission Adaptive around the world, this kind of quantum entanglement occurs in birds when a
Digital Composite Aerostructure Technologies light-sensing protein called a cryptochrome contained in the bird’s eye is hit by a light
(MADCAT) a prototype morphing wing has been created particle, or photon.
in collaboration with MIT that is designed to deform The state of the entangled pair of molecules is then subtly altered by the pulse of
without the need for separate movable surfaces such the Earth’s magnetic field, allowing the birds to tune in to the magnetic field and use it
as ailerons. as a navigation tool.
The morphing-wing concept, which copies the way There are still many unknowns with the theory, such as how the birds are able to
birds change their wing shape during flight is not a new translate the state changes of the entangled molecules into meaningful messages
idea. The Wright brothers, the pioneers of modern relayed to the animal’s brain.
aviation, used a wing-morphing technique to control But researchers have at least been able to prove the importance of the magnetic
their earliest planes, Cramer points out. “Historically, the field to bird navigation. By exposing migratory birds to radio frequencies that interfere
reason we moved away from wing morphing wasn’t with their perception of the Earth’s magnetic field, scientists have observed how it
because it was a bad idea,” he says. “It was because as negatively impacts their ability to orient themselves.
aviation developed and we wanted airplanes to go faster, The area of research holds out the future possibility of being able to replicate the
the only way to do that without breaking the wing was phenomenon as a navigational tool for aviation.
to switch from using wood to using metal. So in the

BIOmiMETICS
5 // An initial, hand-
assembled version of the
morphing wing, illustrating
the lattice pattern used in its
design (Photo: NASA /
Kenny Cheung)
trade-off for speed we lost the material’s tubes that were twisted to produce torque. However,
morphing capability.” 6 // An individual modular this approach is not scalable and for the full-size version
The morphing wing is composed of a lattice block used for the MADCAT of the wing the morphing would be achieved through
structure made up of thousands of tiny triangles project (Photo: NASA) the use of thousands of actuators embedded in to the
of matchstick-like struts. In creating this lattice structure. In the final version the wing would also be
design Cramer and his colleagues studied fitted with a sensor array to collect air pressure data
“natural stochastic materials”, structures in across the wing that could be used to tell the wing the
nature that occur with a degree of randomness, such best morphing configuration for each stage of flight.
as wood and sea sponges. “This is how we think birds do it,” says Cramer.
The design was also inspired by birds’ wing bones. “There are some great scientific papers on the reactions
Cramer says, “For the longitudinal sections, we placed of Golden Eagles. It looks as if the shape change occurs
the more flexible, less dense struts in the center section autonomously on the wing, a signal never even goes back
and the stiffer ones on the external section. This creates to the brain.”
6
a torsional stiffness, which is the same sort of pattern When looking at where the morphing technology is
that you would expect to see in a bird’s humerus bone.” likely to be used Cramer thinks that the first application
In the prototype wing created by the NASA team the will likely be in the more experimental areas of aircraft
deformation of the wing was achieved through the use of design such as blended wing bodies. “The aviation
industry has got fantastically good at making a tube-
and-wing structure. It is so optimized there’s not a lot
more to gain from it,” he says. “Whereas blended wing
BIOMIMETIC SOFTWARE TOOL body structures present a space that isn’t completely
optimized yet and so could really benefit from the
Researchers from NASA are developing a software tool to
infusion of this technology.”
help engineers leverage the billions of years of advancements
To demonstrate how the wing morphing would work
made by natural evolution.
in practice he gives the example of the X-48, an
PeTaL (Periodic Table of Life) is an artificial intelligence-based
experimental blended wing jet built by NASA and
design tool that Dr Vikram Shyam, a biomimetics expert and researcher at NASA’s
Boeing which was retired from service several years ago.
Glenn Research Centre in Cleveland, Ohio and his colleagues are developing.
The aircraft’s manta ray-like shape presented challenges
The idea behind PeTaL is to create a platform that will help engineers apply
for the handling of the aircraft, especially during take-
data from the natural world to engineering problems, says Shyam. For example, an
off. The morphing technology would allow pilots to
aviation engineer identifies a biological process that they believe could crossover to
maximize their control authority over the jet at take-off
aircraft design. The engineer can input the data on the biological process into PeTaL
by twisting the wingtips downwards, believes Cramer.
and “the tool will spit out some possible suggestions,” says Shyam.
“When you get to cruise you don’t really want those
“The algorithm will even be able to offer suggestions on how to implement
tips downward because it’s less efficient. So then you can
the technology, which is one of the hardest things to do,” he adds. “It will also
use the technology to twist them upward.”
offer suggestions on how engineers can build something – the materials and the
He also thinks the technology would be a good fit for
manufacturing process.”
“high-altitude long-endurance aircraft” because the
The software is open source and available on GitHub “for anyone to collaborate
morphing wings are ultra light-weight compared to
on,” says Shyam.
conventional wings and would therefore result in
significant fuel gains on long-haul flights. \\

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Testing Talk
// BEN SAMPSON
Anders Forslund,
founder and
CEO of Heart
Aerospace
The CEO of Swedish startup HEART

aerospace discusses the
advantages of their measured
approach to testing and
certifying its all-electric
regional aircraft
Testing Talk
“This isn’t the final destination for

electric aviation, but it’s the first step
and it’s an important one”

A
Testing Talk
nders Forslund founded Heart

Aerospace in 2018 in
Gothenberg, Sweden with the
goal of developing an
all-electric regional aircraft.
The company’s 19-seater ES-19 will have a range of
400km (250 miles) and will be capable of operating from
runways just 750m (2,461ft) long. With summer 2026
targeted for certification, Heart is rapidly growing its
team to onboard experience, while developing its design
and progressing through testing and certification. The
company recently demonstrated the powertrain for the
ES-19, which had been the focus of its engineering efforts
for the past two years.
In this Q&A Forslund details Heart’s approach to
development, testing and certification of the ES-19,
discusses the importance of knowing your market and
talks about why reducing aviation’s environmental
impact should still be at the top of everyone’s agenda.
WHAT IS YOUR BACKGROUND AND WHAT LED TO

THE FOUNDING OF HEART AEROSPACE?
I did a PhD in aerospace product development, during
which I participated in a research exchange at MIT. I
was there during the drone ‘boom’ – you’d get people
like Elon Musk turning up and talking about electric
aircraft there.
At the time I became sure of two things: one was that
there was a lot of opportunity for electrification in
aerospace and secondly, that there wasn’t much chance of
it happening in Sweden. I thought I would probably have
to move to California if I wanted to be involved.
A few years later Norway became the first country
in the world to say that they wanted all short haul
flights to be all-electric by 2040. That changed my
perspective. Sweden has a proud history in aerospace
and electric mobility, so we felt it was the right time to
start Heart, first as a government research project then
as a company.
The next step was applying to Y Combinator to raise
funds in Silicon Valley, after which we started recruiting.
We’ve grown from two people to a team of 12 and have
some really highly experienced people working with us.
Our chief technical officer Nigel Pippard is the former
CTO of Saab Avionics and was the head of electrical
system and avionics for Honda Jet, for example. put that in the nacelle and built a test rig
that resembles the nacelle on the wing
WHAT STAGE OF DEVELOPMENT AND TESTING and we are testing that now.
ARE YOU AT FOR THE ES-19? We are ready to do five years of design
Our philosophy is to not to reinvent the wheel. We want iterations and testing. For the rest of the
to build an aircraft for our market. Today in Norway they airframe we are talking to suppliers, Tier
are flying 30-year old Dash-8s on short routes everyday. Ones and airframe manufacturers.
A lot are coming to their end of their lives and need
replacing. If we can replace them with electric aircraft it A SELF-CONTAINED POWER UNIT IS
would be great. A DIFFERENT APPROACH THAN 1 // The all-electric ES-19
So, we are building an aluminum framed, high- MOST OTHER ELECTRIC-AIRCRAFT aims to replace the Dash-8
winged aircraft with four nacelles. Each of the nacelles DEVELOPERS – HOW ARE YOU to become the everyday
workhorse aircraft used in
contains an electric motor, batteries and power DEALING WITH COOLING? the Nordic countries
electronics and is a completely self-isolated unit, which If you are building a conventional
is good for safety and redundancy. all-electric aircraft, which takes off and
So far we have built a prototype of the powertrain – a lands using a runway, you need a lot of
400kW, 2300Nm electric motor, plus the battery pack batteries on board. We are putting in the
and the power electronics, the motor controller. We’ve equivalent of 720kWh. An important

Testing Talk
“You shouldn’t be building a

battery-based aircraft to be
as good as a fossil-fueled one”
thing to know about batteries is that their internal decide and go with the technology that certifying an aircraft is a lot more
resistance is proportional to the square of the current. we want to certify. difficult than building a prototype. It’s
That means if you double the amount of batteries, But you shouldn’t be building a also a lot more difficult to sell an aircraft
you reduce the heat generated by them by a factor of four. battery-based aircraft to be as good as a than develop a prototype.
Our high-battery mass means we are not seeing that fossil-fueled one. We are not trying to We know there is a large enough
much heating during take-offs. We are looking at air- compete in that category. We can develop market for a 19-seater aircraft. The
cooling and liquid-cooling. It’s not a huge deal. aircraft that produce less noise and are technology is mature enough and the
Another consideration is that we need to preserve lower cost. We need to be competitive by economics work. This isn’t the final
cycle life for the economics of the aircraft to work. A starting with the short-range flights and destination for electric aviation, but it’s
good cell with low internal resistance, even if it isn’t the proving our superior economics. the first step and it’s an important one.
most energy efficient, will do the job and at a pack level
provide enough energy density. HAS MARKETING BEEN AN CAN YOU TELL ME ABOUT HEART’S
IMPORTANT PART OF PLANNING? APPROACH TO CERTIFICATION?
DO YOU BELIEVE BATTERY TECHNOLOGY IS Yes. You need to focus on the market and We had our first DOA (design
ADVANCED ENOUGH FOR ELECTRIC FLIGHT? where your aircraft will fit in. There is a organization approval) meeting with
Batteries are getting better all the time. But we have to lot of hype around electric aircraft, EASA (European Aviation Safety Agency)
build this aircraft with the technology that we have eVTOLs (electric vertical take off and last year, we had the pre-TC (test and
available to us today. Two years from now we will have to landing) aircraft and autonomy. But certification) meeting.

Testing Talk
“What’s good
about being a
startup is that we
can have a
concrete and
ambitious goal–
certification of
the aircraft”
2 // Heart Aerospace is
targeting a range of 400km different aircraft programs. Our CTO
(250 miles) for the has walked this path many times
electric ES-19 before. We have also received funding
3 // Following a
and support for DOA and the
conventional design means certification pathway for the aircraft
Heart’s engineers can focus from UK-based firm Baines Simmons,
on the development of the which shows the credibility of our
aircraft’s powertrain design. But I’m approaching the
process humbly. Certifying the
aircraft is 100% our focus.
DO YOU THINK THE AVIATION SECTOR IS

AMBITIOUS ENOUGH ABOUT SUSTAINABILITY?
That’s a loaded question! We’re seeing a lot of good
We’re familiar with the road ahead we will collaborate with suppliers to get it things. I applaud Airbus on its recent ZEROe hydrogen
and EASA are very involved. We are in through certification. project for example – it’s a smart idea for transatlantic
the conceptual stage and are doing rapid flight. But I think we should never be content with what
design iterations. Our focus has been on WHAT IS MOST CHALLENGING we do. We can always do better.
the powertrain. We know it is of a ABOUT DEVELOPING AND TESTING Before Heart, when I was doing my PhD and working
sufficiently high quality, but we have to AN ELECTRIC AIRCRAFT? for large companies…sometimes it felt like sustainability
go through the certification phase to We are constantly looking for red flags was restricted to exploratory research. What’s good
show this. This is especially important and aren’t seeing any right now, but there about being a startup is that we have a concrete,
with the software – we’ve written it all probably will be an unknown unknown ambitious goal – certification of the aircraft by the
ourselves and that has to be certified. that will delay us at some point. As a summer of 2026. It’s OK if we don’t reach that goal, but
From a design point-of-view we have startup, financing the entire test flight it’s not OK to not have a goal. The industry should have
been very aggressive about doing things program is expensive. It’s a big challenge concrete goals and be held accountable to them. That last
inhouse – the development of the battery to finance that before we start getting part is really important.
pack, the battery management systems, any revenue. Having said that, there is a lot to be positive about.
motor controllers, designing the motor. Heart has received support from the Swedish
We want to learn the failure modes and DO YOU FEEL YOU HAVE ENOUGH Government, other Nordic governments, the
the big challenges, not just get black EXPERIENCE IN THE TEAM? UK Government and now the European Commission.
boxes from suppliers. We want to keep We have a very experienced team, Everyone’s heart is in the right place, we just need to
the core IP and core software inhouse, but amongst us we have worked on 67 deliver now! \\

Solve Your
Sensing solutions that
Toughest scale from test and
Measurement verification to onboard
monitoring
Challenges
High-definition distributed Terahertz imaging High-speed fiber optic

fiber optic sensing for for non-destructive sensing for condition
design and validation testing monitoring
lunainc.com/ATI
HIGH-SPEED CAMERAS
// JACK ROPER
The whole
picture Digital image correlation is maturing into an
accurate and trusted tool for aerospace engineers
to employ in many different testing scenarios
// Major parts of NASA’s

massive Space Launch System
have been stress tested using
digital image correlation

HIGH-SPEED CAMERAS
D igital image correlation is

becoming a trusted
instrument for measuring
strain and deformation in
aerospace testing. A test sample is painted with dots,
cameras record how the dots move when loads are
applied and software correlates these images to produce
full-field strain or deformation data.
Digital image correlation (DIC) can measure the
behavior of full-sized rocket-sections or microscopic
fibers, as well as record split-second detonations or
quasi-static events lasting many hours. The technique,
which uses high-speed cameras, has decisive advantages
over traditional sensors and is evolving into a reliable,
point-and-shoot industrial solution. “At NASA Langley
Research Centre [LaRC] we characterize damage in
structures and materials,” says LaRC contractor, Dave
Dawicke. “We run DIC on everything from small material
tests to full-scale components and use it to validate our
finite element analysis.”

HIGH-SPEED CAMERAS
DIC was developed by Mike Sutton in actual cylinder imperfections affected buckling-
the 1990s. “Mike built a system with one load, NASA aimed to use lighter structures
camera that worked on a 2D plane,” Dawicke with the same safety level.”
says. “He created pattern-recognition
software to calculate displacements between 215ft For the test, eight camera-pairs provided
360° coverage of the 27ft-diameter
images.” Accurate fracture-test results Height the camera used cylinder: probably NASA’s largest DIC test-
convinced NASA to invest in Sutton’s work. during NASA’s STS-133 subject ever. “It’s like squashing a beer
“He then added a second camera to create a Shuttle external tank can,” Dawicke says. “But they didn’t know
stereo system. That captured movements in three 1 prior to launch was where it was going to buckle, and when it
dimensions, which was a real game-changer.” Today, tests mounted at buckles it goes quickly. High-speed 3D DIC
can involve many pairs of cameras. systems captured that buckling event.”
DIC vendors typically provide end-to-end
LARGE LOAD TESTS 1 // Tim Schmidt, vice solutions like Aramis, developed by German company
During 2011, a NASA Marshall DIC team captured a president of Trilion GOM and delivered by US vendors like Trilion. “Aramis
full-sized rocket cylinder buckling under 2,000,000 lbs of 2 // High-speed cameras set is both hardware and software,” says Trilion’s vice-
downward pressure for the first Shell Buckling up to capture crack president Tim Schmidt. “The primary hardware is
Knockdown Factor (SBKF). Data from this and propagation in a coupon as usually a stereo pair of cameras on a bar. They have to be
subsequent SBKF test inform NASA’s modern launch part of a test using digital aligned and calibrated, so the system includes calibration
vehicle designs. “Rocket-casings were designed image correlation objects, either plates or crosses.”
conservatively based on theoretical buckling loads Earlier systems required expert alignment, but the
derived in the 1950s,” Dawicke explains. “By testing how trend currently is for the use of presets and automation
“It’s like squashing a beer can,

but they didn’t know where it
was going to buckle, and when
it buckles it goes quickly”
SELECTING THE RIGHT CAMERA SETUP FOR DIGITAL IMAGE CORRELATION

Selecting the right cameras is essential to any digital image 3. Minimum Exposure Time
correlation (DIC) test, but may be a bewildering task for the To avoid motion blur, high-
uninitiated. Tim Callenbach, director of sales and marketing at speed events demand exposure
camera-manufacturer Photron talks through the basics times far shorter than the frame
duration. “Crack propagation is a
1. Frame-rate perfect example,” says Callenbach. “At 100,000fps, the frame
Required frame rate depends on what you aim to capture. “Low-end duration is 1/100,000 seconds, or 10 microseconds. But crack
high-speed cameras capture 1MP (megapixel) images at around formation happens so fast that getting sharp, clear images requires
1000fps,” Callenbach says. “But looking at crack propagation a sub-microsecond exposure.” Not all cameras have the necessary
could require over 100,000fps. Make certain you have enough light-sensitivity or sensor design to achieve this.
performance for the application – but avoid paying for frame-rate
performance you don’t need.” 4. Resolution
Generally high-speed camera resolutions range from one to four
2. Light-sensitivity megapixels – but are inversely proportional to frame rate. “As you
“Light-sensitivity is crucial because it impacts nearly everything,” increase resolution, the camera must process more data, so smaller
says Callenbach. “At high frame rates and very short exposures resolutions allow higher-frame rates,” Callenbach says. Often, a
you need sufficient light-sensitivity to get video good enough for trade off must be made. “Engineers determine how many pixels are
analysis.” Performance depends on how many photons of light a needed to capture the required data,” he continues. “Sometimes
camera can capture in a small time-window. “That depends on they can’t achieve the perfect combination of resolution and frame
sensor design, down to the individual pixel structures,” he continues. rate – but camera performance is continually increasing.”
“Some sensors use microlenses to direct photons onto “Finding the right camera is a consultative, trial-and-error
light-sensitive areas of pixels. Low-noise images are also essential – process,” Callenbach concludes. “Datasheets can be misleading
if dots cannot be differentiated from random image artefacts, it will and on-site evaluation is vital. Choose a reliable supplier – if
hamper the software’s ability to track them.” pre-sales support isn’t good, post-sales support definitely won’t be!”

HIGH-SPEED CAMERAS
“DIC provides a full-field picture IDICS AIMS TO CREATE COMMON

with a coordinate system easily STANDARDS
matched to FEA models” The International Digital Image Correlation
Society (iDICs) promotes DIC as a trusted
industrial instrument. “DIC vendors have their own
3 3 // NASA’s Mars 2020
commercial interests, but we ensure everyone goes
Rover mission will touch the same way on best-practice,” says iDICs’ past
down in February 2021 President Phillip L. Reu, of Sandia Laboratories.
“We also produce the written standards vital to its
4 // Testing of the Mars
Rover’s heatshield was adoption in many industries.”
complex because engineers An iDICs certification course aims to ensure all
were not allowed to touch practitioners have a basic level of competence,
the test subject while a course for advanced users covers
understanding and quantifying uncertainties. There
are also courses on patterning techniques, modal
tests and material characterization.
IDICs holds an annual Conference and recently
published a free “DIC Good Practices Guide”, vetted
by industry experts.
“We are vendor-agnostic and advocate for those
who want the truth, not what vendors tell you,” says
to enable ease-of-use and accuracy. “Our 3D cameras are SENSOR REPLACEMENT iDICs board member and Boeing lead engineer,
point-and-shoot instruments where users select a preset Crucially, DIC provides full-field data Alessandro Vieira. “That’s what attracts Boeing,
field-of-view and templates for analysis and reporting,” where traditional strain-gages yield only Airbus and NASA.”
says Schmidt. “After the first test, you define twenty point-measurement. “It’s hard to position “The Good Practices Guide considers what
points of interest, then the results from subsequent tests strain gages unless you know exactly parameters will ensure the fidelity of data. It’s about
happen automatically.” where the largest strain will occur,” says making sure DIC isn’t misused to the
Aramis has been used in blade-off testing, which is Phillip L. Reu, the immediate past detriment of its growth.
conducted to see if a fan blade breaking off within an president of the International DIC Society “We also want consistency
engine will puncture the engine’s enclosure. (iDICs). “But with DIC, you just between vendors: in the
“Knocked-off blades could penetrate the cabin and spray-paint tens of thousands of detectors parameters we use, in how
decapitate a passenger, but a containment structure across an entire surface.” we evaluate data. Different
around the blades prevents that,” says Schmidt. Similarly, DIC can replace terminology describing
Engine manufacturers use DIC t0 test lighter accelerometers in modal testing. “Gluing the same thing generates
materials for engine casings, like braided composites. accelerometers all over a test object can confusion. We want to lock
“They explosively release one blade and we measure how influence vibration,” says Reu. “Full-field in commonality, so whoever
the containment structure bulges and strains,” says DIC measures acceleration everywhere at you buy a system from,
Schmidt. “When blades come off, the whole engine goes once and is a non-contact technique.” there’s a shared vocabulary.”
violently out of balance. We also measure how the However, Boeing lead engineer
mounts securing it to the aeroplane respond to those Alessandro Vieira sounds a more cautious
beyond-normal forces.” note: “Complex geometries with lots of
4 translation cause uncertainties,” he says. picture with a coordinate system easily matched to FEA
“These must be understood before [finite element analysis] models. Strain-gages give better
industry has confidence in DIC for critical microstrain-level accuracy, but damage generally involves
applications.” IDICs aims to provide larger strains and displacements.”
information and certification around Validating FEA is a key DIC application. In 2003,
quantifying such uncertainties. Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated on re-entry
DIC can also do the work of LVDT because a piece of foam punctured its wing during
(linear variable differential transformer) launch – a danger NASA’s models fatally underestimated.
displacement sensors, wires which take The subsequent return to flight program for the Space
time to attach and only measure in one Shuttle required NASA to demonstrate the accuracy of its
direction. “Testing the new Space Launch FEA against DIC data. “NASA converted the chicken gun
System involves pushing and pulling huge used in bird-strike tests to fire a briefcase-sized piece of
hydraulic cylinders in different foam into an orbiter wing-section,” Schmidt says. “We
directions,” says Schmidt. “That’s much took pictures at 27,000fps and the entire test lasted a
easier to capture with DIC.” fraction of a second.”
Dawicke agrees, “For full-scale tests Dawicke has captured deformation at 2,000,000fps in
the aircraft is a patchwork of sensors and explosive tests for NASA. By contrast, quasi-static tests
wires and it’s hard to meaningfully pull unfold over many hours or even days. “Before the 2011
that together. DIC provides a full-field STS-133 Shuttle mission, NASA noticed loose foam on an

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DIGITAL IMAGE
CORRELATION FOR
5 VALIDATING FEA
Wichita State University’s National
Institute for Aviation Research
5 & 6 // Digital image
(NIAR) has invested in stereo camera
correlation captured data systems capable of capturing video at
during a 10ft fuselage 480,000fps, which it will use for
section drop-test at Wichita high-speed digital image correlation
State University’s National (DIC) in coupon, component and full-
Institute for Aviation scale tests. DIC was recently used to
Research’s crash lab
6
capture a 10ft fuselage-section
drop-test at NIAR’s crash-lab.
external tank they were filling with liquid hydrogen and
oxygen,” says Schmidt. “That’s exactly what caused the
loss of Columbia, and removing the foam revealed
“Getting speckles NIAR’s Advanced Virtual
Engineering and Testing Laboratories
(AVET) are dedicated to virtual
several cracks on the tank.”
Schmidt’s team used DIC at the Kennedy Space
becomes tricky at development methods which can
reduce or eliminate the need to
Centre launchpad while the tank was filled over a
12-hour period. “We measured how it contracted and very small scales” manufacture full-scale test-articles
when engineering new products.
exactly where cracking occurred – due to bending “There is typically a need to validate
aluminum reinforcement,” he says. Adding FEA against experimental data to
reinforcements fixed the problem and Aramis data “We want to ensure we get quality results so that DIC establish confidence in results,” says
validated NASA’s as-built section model to ensure continues growing as a trusted measurement,” says Reu. laboratory manager Luis Gomez.
modifications didn’t cause problems elsewhere. To this end, iDICs runs certification courses on how to “Traditionally, this was done at
avoid classic mistakes, such as with speckle patterns. discrete locations using strain and
SIZE MATTERS ‘Too large a pattern on a specimen with high displacement measuring-devices.
DIC can be performed at any speed and at any scale. deformation in some areas makes your analysis region These often had limitations when
“We’ve looked at 0.03in-diameter carbon-fiber bundles larger than necessary, which tends to smooth out trying to predict failures or analyze
using a stereo microscope with two cameras coming in,” deformation gradients,” Reu says. complex structures.
says Dawicke. “We calibrated them using a tiny grid and Decalibration between two precisely-placed cameras “By contrast, digital image
processed the images just as we do larger ones.” is another potential pitfall: “If anything moves between correlation provides three-dimensional
Applying a good speckle-pattern is often said to be the left and right lenses at a microscopic level, you no surface displacements and strains
the hardest part of DIC and forms a popular discussion longer get accurate data,” says Schmidt. “For the STS-133 at any given location photographed
topic at iDICs conference. “Getting speckles becomes test, we calibrated our system on the ground, then they during the experiment,” Gomez
tricky at very small scales,” says Dawicke. “If you’re good hoisted it 215ft to mount on the launchpad. Our continues. “Instead of discrete
with spray-paint, you can get a really fine aluminum bar had to be mechanically robust and NASA locations, it gives us a point-cloud of
mist. An airbrush can create even fabricated custom thermal insulation so it didn’t test data to draw on in understanding
finer speckles – one company has decalibrate because of temperature-changes.” and improving numerical models.”
developed a micro-stamper for Violent high-speed tests bring different calibration
7 // Launch of STS-133, electron microscope challenges. “When the foam hits that wing, the whole
Space Shuttle Discovery’s measurements.” room vibrates,” says Schmidt. “The camera-bar either has FEA comparison – for capturing the effect
final mission, in February to be tough or insulated from those shocks.” of flow-fields on structural behavior in
7
2011(Photo: NASA/ Sandra wind-tunnels, for filtering out generated
Joseph and Kevin O’Connell) A HOT TOPIC light to enable DIC at high-temperatures.
During descent, an ablative heat-shield will protect the Drones could also play a role.
2020 rover now journeying to Mars. DIC has been used “Positioning cameras around large
to show that this structure can survive the descent. test-articles involves difficult angles and
“Because it was a flight-article, we couldn’t even touch it,” hardware which can move during a test,”
says Dawicke. NASA’s team developed a system involving says Vieira. “Flying the camera-bar on a
three camera-pairs, each recording one-third of the 15ft drone, which could lock itself into
conical surface, using a plywood replica. They printed position and shoot an area with
their speckle-pattern on vinyl wrap which could be confidence, could be a perfect solution.”
applied without leaving a residue. “It was a high-profile Collaborative robots could also support
test, but ultimately uneventful, because the heat-shield DIC in future. “GOM’s Scanbox system
performed flawlessly,” he says. “They were able to fly and already uses stereo technology for
now we have high-resolution data of the heat-shield automotive dimensioning,” Vieira adds.
under load to validate FEA models.” “Positioning cameras with a robot arm
As camera technology evolves, so too will DIC could bring manufacturing flexibility to
applications. Dawicke sees growing demand for direct test environments.” \\

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Structural testing
// NIGEL PITTAWAY
Redefining
fatigue A 14 year long full-scale fatigue test
has proved the longevity of one of
the world’s most popular trainer jets

Structural testing
F ollowing fourteen years of

continuous testing, Australia’s
Defence Science and Technology
Group and BAE Systems, in
partnership with the Australian defence airworthiness
authority recently concluded a full-scale fatigue test of
the Hawk trainer jet.
The successful conclusion of the Full-Scale Fatigue
Test (FSFT) program validates the Royal Australian Air
Force’s (RAAF) fleet of BAE Systems Hawk Mk.127
aircraft for 50,000 flight hours, representing five full
lifetimes. The test program began at the Defence
Science and Technology Group’s (DST) facility at
Fishermans Bend in Melbourne in February 2006 and
was formally concluded on June 5, 2020.
The program subjected a structurally complete
Hawk test airframe to the full range of loads
potentially experienced by the operational fleet, based
on the RAAF’s projected operational requirements.
According to BAE Systems the 50,000 flight-hour
validation is five times the current clearance of most of
the modern Hawk trainers in service around the world,
and around ten times greater than the current
Australian fleet leader.
AUSTRALIAN REQUIREMENTS
The first of 33 RAAF Hawk Mk.127 trainers entered
service in 2000. A structural test airframe was
also part of the contract. The
FSFT program was
specified within the
contract, to be delivered under a commercial
agreement between BAE Systems, DST and what is
today known as the Defence Aviation Safety
Authority’s Directorate of Aviation (Specialist)
Engineering – or DAVENG-DASA.
Although BAE Systems as the OEM had extensive
fatigue test data for earlier variants of the successful
Hawk family, the Australian Mk.127 would differ in
several key areas – being 60cm (23.6in) longer and 20%
heavier for example. These differences, combined with
operational flight profiles unique to the RAAF at the
time, led to the determination that a new full-scale
fatigue test would be required.
To achieve this, AU$11.7 million was allocated
within the acquisition budget for the FSFT program. To
accommodate the FSFT and other important programs
planned at Fishermans Bend, DST constructed the
H. A. Wills Structures and Materials Test Centre. The
facility, named after an Australian pioneer of aircraft
1 // The Royal Australian Air fatigue testing, was opened in August 2004.
Force use the Hawk aircraft
“Technology transfer was a component of the
to train pilots before they fly
front line fighters (Photo: contract for the supply of the Hawk Mk.127 and, having
Nigel Pittaway) requested that a full-scale fatigue test be carried out,
the placing of the test at DST Fishermans Bend was
part of that technology transfer,” says BAE Systems.
“The original objective was to provide a clearance
for the operational aircraft of 10,000 flying hours to the
fatigue spectrum and masses detailed within the
contract. To achieve this, it was necessary to test the

Structural testing
airframe to an equivalent of 50,000 flying hours to also charged with the

ensure both the monitored and un-monitored structure completion of both scheduled
was cleared and this objective hasn’t changed over time.” and unscheduled inspections
of the test article as directed
FATIGUE TEST OVERVIEW by the OEM. Other
When the FSFT program began in February 2006 the responsibilities included the
Hawk Mk.127 structure had an interim clearance for recording of all data from the
3,000 hours of operational use in RAAF service and program and the performance of
although the ultimate goal was to validate the full repairs required by BAE Systems.
10,000-hour life, the immediate priority was to achieve Representing the Australian
test equivalence of the interim clearance before the military airworthiness authority,
operational fleet leader. DAVENG-DASA provided concurrence with 3
Under the FSFT partnership contract DST was critical test documentation and concurrence of test
responsible for conducting the testing program at article and operational fleet actions and was co-chair of
Fishermans Bend on behalf of BAE Systems. As the the JTRM with BAE Systems.
prime contractor to the Commonwealth of Australia, The structural test article was manufactured by BAE
BAE Systems was responsible for the design of the test Systems at Brough, UK and was shipped to Australia in
rig and test loading and spectrum development. As the May 2003. The airframe was the 25th Hawk Mk.127 to
sole conduit of test-related data back to the be built and was factory-fitted with 326 strain gages
Commonwealth, the company was also tasked with the before delivery, After its arrival at Fishermans Bend, DST
review of all inspection and test information arising installed a further 259 sensors. It was also fitted with a
from the program and for the development of any production-standard windscreen and canopy to allow the
further actions. application of cockpit pressurization loads. As such, the
BAE Systems was also responsible for the analysis test article is a structurally complete, production 4
and read across of issues coming from the testing and the standard, Hawk Mk.127 fuselage, with the wings and fin.
2 // Loads were applied to the test
development of any subsequent recommendations for the article by 83 hydraulic jacks
operational RAAF Hawk fleet. Further work included the TESTING METHODOLOGY
design of test article repairs, provision of test clearance The test article was installed in a purpose-built test rig 3 // The test article was fitted with
more than 500 strain gages
data and the co-chairing of Joint Technical Review within the H. A. Wills facility, which is itself capable of
Meetings (JTRM) with the Commonwealth, represented maintaining a stable testing environment and adequate 4 // The test article is structurally
by DAVENG-DASA. quantities of hydraulic oil and compressed air. A test complete and includes a windscreen
While DST was responsible for the day-to-day control room within the facility houses a control system and canopy
running of the test program at Fishermans Bend, it was and afforded a clear view of the test itself.

Structural testing
FISHERMANS BEND
Defence Science and Technology Group’s in 1950 a twelve-year testing program Dynamics F-111C. In addition, ARL pioneered
(DST) facility at Fishermans Bend can trace involving 222 sets of CAC-built Mustang development of boron patch repairs, utilised
its origins to the creation of the Aeronautical wings began. This program involved testing to extend the fatigue life of a range of
& Engine Research Test Laboratory in 1939. the wing structures under a complex and military aircraft – including RAAF Mirage,
During the war the organization conducted repeated series of external loads and F-111 and C-130E Hercules and the US Air
structural testing of CAC Boomerang and represented the most extensive body of Force’s C-141B Starlifter.
Australian-built De Havilland Mosquito fatigue testing of a single type of aircraft More recent work conducted at
wings and. In 1947 H. A. (Arthur) Wills, structure ever undertaken. Fishermans Bend has included a Hornet
pioneered research into aircraft structural Other notable work has included full- Fighter International Follow On Structural
fatigue, publishing his watershed ‘The Life of scale fatigue testing of Australia’s GAF Test Project (IFOSTP) with Canada, the
Aircraft Structures’ paper around two years Nomad short take off and landing transport, Hawk FSFT and currently the five-year
later in 1949. Australian-built Mirage IIIO fighters and Helicopter Advanced Fatigue Test –
The facility was renamed Aeronautical key research into the improvement of the Technology Demonstrator (HAFT-TD)
Research Laboratories (ARL) in 1949 and wing carry-through structure of the General program with the US Navy.
“The test article had a functional flap control

system, capable of cycling through an
operational airframe’s full 50˚ of movement”

Structural testing
RAAF’S HAWK MK.127

The Royal Australian Air Force’s Hawk Mk.127 is a variant of the
successful BAE Systems Hawk family of jet trainers, a total
of almost 1,000 of which have been sold to customers in 18
countries, with the global fleet exceeding 3.5 million flying hours.
Australia ordered 34 Hawk Mk.127s, including the structural
test article under Project Air 5438 in March 1997. 12 were built
at Brough in the United Kingdom and 22 at a purpose-built
facility adjacent to the RAAF’s Base Williamtown in New
South Wales.
Deliveries occurred between April 2000 and July 2001.
The fleet is used for lead in fighter training, to prepare
post-graduate fast-jet students for front-line fighters
such as the F/A-18A/B Hornet, F/A-18F Super Hornet
and F-35A Joint Strike Fighter.
No aircraft have been lost over two decades
and in excess of 120,000 flying hours to date.
The fleet has recently completed a Hawk
Lead In Fighter Capability Assurance Program
(LIFCAP), to ensure relevance through to the
current planned withdrawal date in 2026.
The RAAF has a LIFCAP replacement
project underway under Project Air 6002 and
completion of the FSFT, verifying fatigue life
to well into the late 2040s, which may well
result in an upgraded Hawk Mk.127 fleet
flying for decades to come.
Some aircraft structural items were cleared by from accidental overload. If the system detected any
5 // The RAAF’s version of the
alternative means and therefore not fitted to the test Hawk trainer jet is longer and anomaly, such as a drop in pressure in a circuit, then it
article, while others were dummy items, used to heavier than earlier variants slowly removed the loads and stopped the test,” BAE
introduce loads without being subject to analysis in their Systems says. “The system had its own emergency power
own right. As is normal practice, any items regarded as supply so that it remained capable of stopping the test in
non-structural were omitted from the test. 6 // The test article was installed in a a controlled manner even in the event of a power cut.”
“The test specimen was mounted in the test rig such purpose-built rig within the H. A. Wills Simulation and modeling also played an important
that it was supported just aft of the cockpit, reacting facility within the DST’s Fishermans role in the test program, with the use of a full aircraft
Bend site in Melbourne, Australia
vertical and lateral loads; and via the dummy engine, Finite Element Model to support development of test
reacting vertical, lateral and drag loads,” says BAE loads and the analysis of test arisings. In addition, solid
Systems. “Loading was applied to the specimen to FE Modelling was used to support analysis.
represent all the aerodynamic and inertia loading for
each balanced load case, but excluding the engine loads. OUTCOMES AND CONCLUSIONS
By loading and supporting the airframe in this way it While BAE Systems did not provide specific details of
means that reaction loads at the dummy engine items arising from the FSFT or their potential impact on
represent the missing engine loads, while the reaction the operational Hawk Mk.127 fleet, the company
loads aft of the cockpit should be zero.” nevertheless says that the test achieved the overall
The loads were applied to the test article by 83 equivalent of 50,000 flying hours, providing the required
hydraulic jacks, each fitted with pressure relief valves to fleet clearance for the RAAF and also the necessary
prevent overloading and a compressed air system was clearances for the wider Hawk fleet.
used to represent cockpit pressurization loads and “Generally, anything significant arising on the test
simulate fuel tank pressures. All loading devices were that was likely to result in a fleet action was reviewed
controlled by an electronic control system, which with the customer and other stakeholders at an annual
simultaneously controlled the 90 items – comprising of JTRM,” BAE Systems says. “The meeting was co-chaired
the hydraulic jacks, six independent air pressure systems and reviewed the test progress and any significant
and one channel to control the operation of the flap arisings and their potential impact.”
control actuator. Besides sharing the results with the RAAF, the OEM
Testing of the Hawk flap control system represented is using the data obtained from the 14-year test program
arguably the only unusual aspect of the test. Although to support the structural integrity clearance for all Hawk
the flaps themselves were dummies, the test article had a operators around the world.
functional flap control system, capable of cycling Based on current usage, the FSFT program has
through an operational airframe’s full 50° of movement. determined that the Hawk Mk.127 has sufficient
“There were numerous safety features as an integral remaining fatigue life to allow the RAAF fleet to
part of the control system, these protected the specimen 6 continue flying until well into the late 2040s. \\

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READING PREFERENCES,
AND A SEARCH
FUNCTION.
HIGH-SPEED CAMERAS HIGH-SPEED CAMERAS
// JACK ROPER
The whole D
picture
igital image correlation is
becoming a trusted
instrument for measuring
strain and deformation in
aerospace testing. A test sample is painted with dots,
cameras record how the dots move when loads are
applied and software correlates these images to produce
full-field strain or deformation data.
Digital image correlation (DIC) can measure the
behavior of full-sized rocket-sections or microscopic
fibers, as well as record split-second detonations or
quasi-static events lasting many hours. The technique,
which uses high-speed cameras, has decisive advantages
over traditional sensors and is evolving into a reliable,
point-and-shoot industrial solution. “At NASA Langley
Research Centre [LaRC] we characterize damage in
structures and materials,” says LaRC contractor, Dave
Dawicke. “We run DIC on everything from small material
Digital image correlation is maturing into an tests to full-scale components and use it to validate our
accurate and trusted tool for aerospace engineers finite element analysis.”
to employ in many different testing scenarios
// Major parts of NASA’s

massive Space Launch System
have been stress tested using
digital image correlation
36 DECEMBER 2020 \\ AEROSPACETESTINGINTERNATIONAL.COM AEROSPACETESTINGINTERNATIONAL.COM // DECEMBER 2020 37
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Metrology
Measurem
// ANTHONY JAMES
additive man
The use of 3D printing continues to grow in aerospace, but

the proper inspection of the parts it produces requires a
significant departure from traditional metrology methods
B oeing now has more than 70,000

3D-printed polymer and metal
parts flying on its commercial
aircraft, defense, space and
security platforms, and more than 200 additive
manufacturing machines at 20 sites in four countries.
“Our technologies include metal wire feed, laser
powder bed, electron beam powder bed, and powder
feed,” says Melissa Orme, vice president of Boeing
“Boeing looks to AM to optimize the whole product,
rather than optimizing the part,” stresses Orme, while
noting that AM also enables the creation and delivery of
replacement parts and components for customers when
traditional means aren’t possible, or as a rapid response
solution to reduce significant lead times to a matter of
days or weeks.
HERE TO STAY
Additive Manufacturing, who adds that additive Additive manufacturing has become a permanent part of
manufacturing (AM) allows for more creativity in design aerospace manufacturing technology. As it continues to
and enables highly complex parts to be made that when mature, suppliers to major OEMs are developing novel
exploited, can bring tremendous benefit in terms of and robust measurement and inspection tools to qualify
structure, weight, functionality, and cost. AM components, ensure reliability and service life.

Metrology
ments for
nufacturing
© mari1408 - stock.adobe.com

Metrology
1 // Complex metal
components can be made
using AM, but inspection
must still be considered
2 // An additively
1 manufactured fuselage
bracket after machining
“The manufacturing
method must be
understood at the key
process variable level”
GKN Aerospace is one such company. It opened the
world’s largest laser metal deposition with wire (LMD-w)
pilot production cell at the US Department of Energy’s
Oak Ridge National Laboratory as the next stage in its
AM R&D efforts targeting large-scale structural aircraft
components in June 2019.
Meanwhile, the company already has AM parts in
service on seven different platforms, across the
commercial, military, rotorcraft, business aviation and
space markets. It uses a variety of AM technologies,
including electron beam melting (EBM), laser powder
bed and LMD-w, which is used directly for aircraft parts.
The company also makes polymer flight hardware using
selective laser sintering for electrical systems support.
GKN’s AM parts are currently produced at two of its
European sites. Its Filton facility in the UK has produced
flying parts since 2016. These include: ducting
components for military jets and acoustic liners for an
air intake scoop to reduce noise, both made using EBM,
and an instrumentation canister including optical ice
detection for a flying test bed, built using EBM and laser
powder bed technology. Recently, GKN made use of its
engineering and materials characterization capability to
3 // A lightweight bracket generate its own design parameters for laser powder bed
concept using lattice structure structures – parameters that have since been used to
made with electron beam assist a business jet customer in certifying a series of
melting by engineers at
GKN Aerospace
new topology optimized bracket components.
Since 2015, the company’s engine division, based in
Trollhättan, Sweden, has supplied LMD-w modified

Metrology
4
4 // A Ti64 leading edge

for a carbon fibre
turbine engine fan blade
made using electron
beam melting
1,500
titanium parts made by additive
manufacturing in service on
titanium engine structures for civil applications. It also key process variable level,” he says. “It must be under Boeing’s commercial aircraft fleet
supplies sections of large space rocket nozzles made control, repeatable and reproducible, with a set of
using LMD-w and conducts fan blade augmentation / standards that can be used to inspect against, to prove
repair using blown powder technology. the material produced meets the specification defined.”
Beyond these specific parts, numerous tools and jigs However, as ever, the devil is in the detail, with one
have been manufactured for on-site manufacturing key difference evident. “In any AM process you deposit
process improvement, using technologies such as fused or melt your feedstock and create the end material, not
deposition modelling and selective laser sintering. “It is a just the geometry,” says Rudram. “This means that for 5 // Melissa Orme, vice
long running activity for us now – we’ve been assisting any qualification process you are required to president of Boeing Additive
conventional manufacturing through the provision of demonstrate that the process is creating material to the Manufacturing
jigs, tools and fixture-based AM for over seven years,” correct standard and you cannot rely on the feedstock
says Hamish Rudram, project leader, additive mechanical properties in your end part.
manufacturing, GKN Aerospace. “At GKN, our M&P teams focus on parameter
Next year the company plans to open a new development and process control to ensure material that
£32 million (US$43 million) Global Technology Centre meets our customer requirements and can be produced
(GTC) at its Filton site. Rudram says, “We are now in the to enable the part in question to be qualified.”
final stages of commissioning our first large-scale From a metrology perspective establishing
LMD-w cell in the UK, which will allow us to datums from which to measure is a challenge for
manufacture much larger integrated structures for civil AM parts, whether these are taken from the
and military applications.” substrate that the part is built on or specific
Filton’s existing capability in electron beam melting, datum features are created: “Most AM
laser powder bed, selective laser sintering and fused processes still require a finishing process
deposition modelling will also move across to the GTC, which necessitates very careful
further reinforcing the Centre’s AM capabilities, which consideration of how we create and define
Rudram says are expanding all the time. datum surfaces to ensure that our parts are
“We remain most focused in the materials science able to suitably interface with other
aspects, working across a broad range of alloys as we assembled parts,” he says. “The surface
tailor process methods to the requirements of the part,” finish presents challenges in the
he says. “Most recently we’ve broadened our areas of measurement process. Where possible, we
interest into steel and additional nickel alloys, although use area-based roughness measurements,
other materials are in the early stages of development which enable us to better understand the
screening as well.” typical variation of powder-based processes.”
MATERIAL MATTERS IN-PROCESS MONITORING

Fundamentally, Rudram says the same materials and Going forward, Rudram says in-process monitoring
processes (M&P) considerations are present for AM as offers the greatest potential but also the greatest 5
they are for longer established manufacturing methods. challenge with respect to becoming an approved method
“The manufacturing method must be understood at the to qualify AM components: “Today, in-process

Metrology
6 // Boeing’s first powder
bed AM metal antenna,
which was launched
into space on the AMOS-17
communications satellite
during 2019
7 & 8 // The world’s civil

series production part, an
aft galley fitting used on the
Boeing 787 Dreamliner
in 2017
8
BOEING AM PARTS IN
SERVICE
7
Recent examples of Boeing additive-
manufactured parts include:
• The first complex aluminum
3D-printed deployable ion engine
mounts on the Horizons-3e satellite,
launched in September 2018. The
AM mounts will now be standard
on every 702MP derived spacecraft
monitoring is very useful for sentencing parts – that is to enabling us to move together to higher criticality parts, with xenon ion propulsion
say we can use it to confirm a part is bad but not to and is normal for the introduction of new technologies • In 2019, Boeing’s first powder-bed
confirm it is good. They are very useful for process on aircraft. Then, factors such as surface finish, internal AM metal antenna – the Command
development and understanding where issues are likely complexity, and ease of establishing datums become Horn – was launched into space
to occur but are not generally used for final approval.” important factors. for use on board the AMOS-17
To this end, GKN has developed its own in-process “We do take ‘inspectability’ into account in design for communications satellite
monitoring methods for electron beam melting, which AM, since the AM process enables us to make extremely • In 2017, Boeing designed and
use near infrared cameras. The company has also complex shapes. Typically, inspection places a limitation installed the world’s first 3D-printed
created a machine learning driven algorithm with the on how radical a solution can be.” structural titanium part, an aft galley
University of Sheffield for detecting whether the wire fitting, from the Ti-wire process, on
put in for laser metal deposition by wire is within DATA CAPTURE the 787 Dreamliner
acceptable limits. Rudram also notes that AM is a very data rich process, • Boeing used an AM solution to solve
“As we collect more data from the processes it will be and records an extensive range of measurements. As a customer need when no spares
increasingly possible to train algorithms to identify and such, a key enabler of in-process inspection will be the were available by designing a Laser
classify defects with inspectors being used to approve the way in which the data is handled and stored efficiently. Powder Bed Fusion titanium duct
findings,” says Rudram. “Being able to confirm the part is GKN Aerospace is working with the UK’s Aerospace assembly that consolidated multiple
within acceptable limits earlier in the process, or if Technology Institute in the £19 million (US$25 million) traditionally manufactured pieces
required, modify parameters using closed loop control to Airlift project with partners CFMS (Centre For Modelling into a single piece.
rectify any issues, will enable a reduction in scrap and and Simulation), Siemens and the University of Sheffield
increase in productivity.” to establish the architecture to help facilitate more
Interestingly, Rudram believes that inspection intelligent use of data to drive process improvements
requirements can actually limit how AM is applied, such as in-line inspection.
depending on part criticality: “Today, most AM “Building the fundamentals to make sure data from
components are low criticality parts and we do more the process is accessible and traceable will be the
inspection than formally required to learn and improve,”
he says. “This is key to enhancing customer confidence,
stepping stone to analytics that will help prove the
quality of the component,” says Rudram. 45,000
polymer-based additively
“The surface finish presents challenges

manufactured parts
flying on Boeing’s
commercial aircraft fleet
in the measurement process”

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Learn more about your possibilities: zeiss.com/metrology
Metrology
9 // GKN’s new Global
Technology Centre hosts the
company’s first UK laser
metal deposition cell for
large structures
10 // Boeing made engine
mounts for the Horizons-3e
satellite, which launched in
September 2018 DEALING WITH COMMON
AM-PART DEFECTS
The defects that aerospace
manufacturers are most interested
in quantifying for additively
manufactured (AM) parts are porosity
that can occur from the feedstock or
the process, lack of fusion defects
arising from incomplete fusion during
melting, micro cracks from thermally
9
induced stress and inclusions that are
in the feedstock or introduced during
the process.
“Furthermore, this traceability will allow better root Hamish Rudram, project leader,
10 additive manufacturing at GKN
cause analysis, process improvement and review
following any in-service events, ultimately driving higher Aerospace, says that unfortunately
performance and safer aircraft.” the sophistication and magnification
of today’s inspection methods means
THE OEM PERSPECTIVE that if you look hard enough, you will
Boeing has been researching and implementing additive with statistical significance between CT results and inevitably find “something of interest”
manufacturing in the aerospace industry since 1997. coupon sampling.” in a part, which is why he advises
“Our earliest metal experience is a laser additive Orme agrees with GKN Aerospace’s Rudram when that it is important to understand the
manufacturing titanium part for the X-37 ATLV considering the quality inspection challenges inherent in impact of defects.
[Approach and Landing Test Vehicle], which was the layering process implicit in AM. “Complex parts that “Defining a sensible set of
installed in 2001,” says Orme. may be organic or biomimetic in shape, or parts that requirements that are intelligently
Subsequently, aluminum and titanium AM parts have have complex tortuous internal channels, are excellent prescribed such that the allowable
been included on multiple Boeing defense programs, examples of how AM adds value,” she says. defects are matched to the
satellites and the 787. AM parts have also been printed to “However, it may be difficult to define a datum for mechanical requirements of the part
support urgently needed spares for military customers. inspection purposes on an organic shape, and this needs is one of the areas of understanding
The aircraft manufacturer has also been actively to be realized in the design phase of the part so that a that will help increase AM adoption
designing and flying missions in space using metal prescribed datum can be incorporated into the part. across aerospace,” he says. “The
powder-bed 3D printed parts since 2017. Additionally, designing for AM allows the possibility to so-called ‘effect of defects’ with
The US-plane maker has more than 45,000 polymer design for inspectability, meaning designs can be quantifiable impacts on the properties
additive parts and 1,500 titanium parts flying in service fabricated that have access to measurements probes on are important to designers.
across its commercial aircraft fleet. The polymer parts are all surfaces, or imaged with CT scan.” “This is no easy task and
printed using selective laser sintering (SLS) Nylon 11, Depending on the material and geometric design, development of simulation and
fused filament fabrication Ultem 9085 and SLS Carbon Orme notes that CT energy may not necessarily testing methods will help drive
Fiber PEKK (PolyEtherKetoneKetone). AM components penetrate through all the portions of a complex forwards this understanding –
are incorporated into stow bins, sidewalls, ceilings, AM-produced geometry. She argues this issue needs to something we are active in with our
furnishings and crew rests. These include lanyards, seals, be accounted for in the design phase to ensure that all research partners.”
spacers, as well as premium fairing closeouts and sign areas of the component can be inspected. Even then, a
bezels. The titanium parts are on the 787 Dreamliner. typical CT scan has a resolution of approximately 70
Despite Boeing’s proven expertise and experience, microns, preventing defects smaller than the resolution
metrology and quality inspection remain a challenge. to be recognized.
“AM is relatively new, so it does not have the benefit of “This is true for both traditionally fabricated and AM
the comprehensive databases enjoyed by traditional components, however in the latter, fine features of
processes,” Orme says.
“Testing for AM parts includes coupon and
complex internal geometries fabricated with AM will
need to be inspected,” she admits. “It may be
difficult to
component testing, where the former is a mix of In conventional manufacturing, Orme says similar
in-process coupons and coupons excised from printed complicated internal features are often achieved by
parts. With in-process coupon data, we demonstrate that machining two halves separately or adding brazed
the process is repeatable and reliable by the low variation
in properties over our time-series collected data.”
features, then welding the halves together, enabling close
inspection prior to the joining process. Boeing plans to
define a datum
Component testing depends on the function of the
part and could include environmental, thermal and
apply a similar method for AM inspection to supplement
its CT analysis in the future. for inspection
vibration testing, among other methods.
“Parts are also imaged with either radiography or full
CT scans,” says Orme. “In the future, it is expected that
“For AM, Boeing is relying on part cut-ups to
complete our understanding and create a statistical
database of the microstructure of complicated geometries
purposes on an
we will reduce the amount of imaging as the additive
technology matures and we can demonstrate correlations
for sensitive areas in which we seek information that
cannot be provided through CT,” concludes Orme. \\
organic shape”

SEE BEYOND THE SURFACE
We build world class industrial digital X-ray and 3D
computed tomography systems, offer X-ray inspection
contract services, and train your experts so you can
develop the world’s best products.
4nsi.com/ati | +1 (866) 754-4902 | sales@4nsi.com

Weapons testing
// BEN SAMPSON
A measured approach to modernization is helping

the UK’s weapons test and evaluation capability
meet the requirements of customers and industry
Act
Weapons testing
// Large caliber gun firings,

take place at MOD Eskmeals
in Cumbria

Weapons testing
T esting and evaluation of the UK

Armed Forces’ weapons and
equipment is achieved under the
Long Term Partnering Agreement
contract between the UK Ministry of Defence and
defense and security company QinetiQ.
Under the Contract, QinetiQ manages 16 core sites on
behalf of the Ministry of Defence (MOD) which are
located across the UK from the Hebrides in the North to
Pier Cellars in the South. These UK sovereign test,
training and evaluation sites assess the performance of
aircraft, maritime platforms and weapons systems used
by the UK’s Armed Forces. Around 1,600 QinetiQ
employees work on projects from training personnel to
conducting electronic warfare testing to operating land,
sea and air test ranges to managing weapons testing
facilities under the LTPA.
DIGITALIZATION
“By their nature the sites tend to be located away An important area for the LTPA’s modernization program is an ongoing
from population centers for safety reasons, says Lisa digitization of sites and assets. This involves installing technology and
Large, weapons safety and suitability for service (S3) equipment that can create more digital data and connect sites securely.
capability lead for the Long Term Partnering Agreement Digitalization aims to get to the data that test and evaluation
(LTPA) at QinetiQ. “Standing in the rain at MOD Pendine produces to their engineers faster, so they can analyze and use it.
in Wales may not be that glamorous, but the sites are Another key part is providing information back to customers and
fascinating places. sharing data with stakeholders in a timely fashion.
“Our people are our biggest asset. They do an “We’re keen to support the development of concepts such as digital
amazing job with really challenging work.” threads and twins that will enable us to update data and information
The LTPA provides testing and evaluation capabilities about weapons in real-time. The interactions to enable this to go on
principally to the MOD and its supply chain, companies when operational are complex but we are making great strides to
such as BAE Systems, MBDA and General Dynamics. It advance it.”
also supports training exercises for the UK’s Royal Air The LTPA is also investigating blending real-life streams of data into
Force, Royal Navy and Army and is also used by simulations and has integrated live data from MOD Aberporth into
non-MOD customers. One of the MOD sites is a NATO models at our QinetiQ Farnborough facility. “Bringing live feeds into
accredited European Test Centre for example. Use of site models can save costs and improve understanding of how long range
facilities requires MOD approval and they regularly host systems work.
international customers, such as the German and Italian “Digitization is the biggest game-changer in the way the sector
Air Forces and the Canadian Navy. “We offer some niche operates. The greater control and usage of data has clear benefits in
capabilities and they like the space we can create for our industry, to support better decision-making,” adds Large.
their exercises,” says Large.
The LTPA contract was signed in 2003 for 25 years, a 2 // The Rapier missile
system has been in service
long period of time which was intended to help enable
since the 1970s and has had
planning and investment in capability. However, during its extended service life
2019 the contract was re-aligned to adopt a more approved by frequent and
demand / output focused model for delivery. Large says, comprehensive testing
“The LTPA allows us to take a long-term view on the
development of new capabilities and the modernization
of existing ones. But we recognized that we needed to
look at the LTPA’s delivery model and move to something
more relevant to future requirements that provides
optimum value for money.
“We’re in world where we are continually examining
the cost base, which requires us to be more responsive
and focus on output.” 2
“The LTPA allows us to take a long-term

view on the development of new capabilities”

Weapons testing
1 // A Rapier surface-to-air
missile test firing, which are
conducted at the MOD
Hebrides site in Scotland
DEMAND AND CAPACITY

The 2019 realignment included an additional £190
million (US$250 million) of funding to help modernize
“Increasingly MOD require longer
the LTPA’s capabilities. The extra investment brings the
total since 2016 to £370 million. Developed in close
range, larger missiles because of
partnership with the MOD, a holistic approach was taken
to planning the latest investments so that they operational requirements”
incorporate cost savings. Large says, “Some of our sites
originate from WW2 and a series of modernizations was
required to get us up to spec. To get that additional improvement work at MOD Boscombe Down in
investment, we had to look to reduce the overall cost and Wiltshire. MOD Shoeburyness, hosts a number of
provide a more efficient service.” batteries which are used to test medium and large
A fundamental difference with the reinvigorated caliber guns, where improvements including work to
LTPA is a move away from talking about test-days to protect against flooding are being made. There is also
using a concept called “event types”. These event types work to improve the heating and condition of magazine
include the many different test and training exercises storage areas at that site.
that can be conducted at the sites, such as air-to-air Improvements across all sites have included upgrades
sorties, for example at the MOD Hebrides range in to communications technology particularly around
Scotland, or large caliber gun firings, which may take sub-commands, which has important safety implications.
place at MOD Shoeburyness in Essex or MOD Eskmeals, “Missile systems and military equipment have very
Cumbria. There are more than 170 event types identified advanced communications systems, we have to mirror
across the LTPA. “Using event types enable us to move those capabilities in our radar and air tracking systems,”
away from keeping a range open 24/7 for use as and when says Large. “It’s about keeping a modern facility that is
required,” says Large. “It allows us to metricize the work capable of meeting current and future military capability
we actually do, categorize and measure complex activity evaluation requirements.”
across a large area. We can then present outputs for the Lisa was the integrated delivery team lead for the
customer to talk about future requirements more easily.” latest modernization program, a role focused on
The approach, which is also known as demand delivering outputs and working closely with the
capacity and utilization modelling, involves a close investments team on planning work.
partnership with the customer to find out what Large says, “We do a lot deconfliction to avoid doing
capabilities they require in the future. This enables work when there are important trials coming through.
investment to be planned more effectively, not just for We use a sophisticated scheduling tool and work closely
equipment and resources at facilities but also so that the with MOD. Sometimes you have to prioritize work
right people with the right expertise are in place. because we need that capability.
“We manage the ranges on MOD’s behalf. Our guys
MODERNIZATION do a lot of really good plate spinning, to ensure that we
The investments planned improve and extend the LTPA’s are keeping as best we can to what can be a changeable
existing capabilities, with for example, restoration and schedule. We try and be agile and responsive.”

Weapons testing
3 // Missile firing during

Formidable Shield 2017 in
the Outer Hebrides,
involving 13 ships from
eight NATO countries
LISA LARGE CV
Lisa Large’s first job in
defense was as a chemist
in Royal Ordnance, starting
on initiation systems and
then on rocket motors. She 4// MOD Hebrides ranges
worked for a number of provided launch pads, 3
years at BAE Systems in a targets, radar tracking,
telemetry and evaluation
business development role LARGER AND LONGER RANGE support during Formidable
before her sales and delivery The modernization program has included updating Shield 2019
role in QinetiQ. “Now I’m equipment at the Environmental Test Centre (ETC) and
looking more at how we can the Large Handling Facility at MOD Shoeburyness. After
tailor evaluation effectively to a weapon has been tested and qualified for use, the ETC
make it more cost-effective, tests weapons to ensure their safety and suitability for
particularly with complex service, a process MOD calls S3. Usually an S3 program
weapons where the value of takes between two to three years, representing a 15-20
the missile is extremely high,” year actual life. S3 is a long, sequential process that
she says. subjects weapons such as missiles and munitions to the
“If we can reduce the extreme environments that will be experienced during
number we test but still service life in the laboratory through techniques that
provide credible evidence accelerate and recreate the ageing process. The ETC is
for safety and performance therefore equipped to do temperature, humidity, altitude
via read across, modelling or and decompression testing, vibration and shock testing,
scientific understanding and rough handling tests, hot and cold immersion testing, 4
how can we feed that into dust and sand ingress testing, non-destructive testing
the system.” with x-rays and a CT scanner as well as energetic Meteor, the Storm Shadow air-launched cruise missile
Large also represents material sectioning using remotely operated equipment. and the Brimstone air-launched ground attack missile.
QinetiQ in the sector skills “It’s a lot of shaking and baking,” says Large. “Then For the UK Army, the LTPA has supported Rapier air
strategy group which examine we cut it up and test the energetic materials because defence firing camps, as well as gallery ranges and
how to best train and retain that’s usually where the problems are going to be if there missile practice camps, machine gun firings against
skilled engineers. are going to be any. That’s largely done at a non-LTPA floating targets and air defense firings using QinetiQ’s
“Weapons testing is a really site called Fort Halstead. Or we do a firing to test that it Banshee aerial targets.
good application of science still performs. The LTPA also supports the Royal Navy’s activities
and technology. In testing you “Increasingly MOD require longer range, larger and has evaluated air defense systems. The ship firings
can see the benefits of your missiles because of operational requirements. We need are conducted off MOD Aberporth in Wales or MOD
work clearly and quickly. A lot larger facilities to be able to test those missiles, so they Hebrides, Scotland, while static firings are done from a
of other times it can be quite can be broken down into smaller components and battery or test site. “We can represent a turret on land and
downstream by the time you assembled into their full configuration for testing. do firings that way or on-ship firings. We can represent a
see the results of what you There’s been quite a bit of investment at the Large wide range of activities for the Navy from a weapons
do. We also increasingly need Handling Facility to manage these increasingly large perspective, as well as the training aspects, says Large.
to understand scientifically missiles which has now made it a world class facility,” The two-year transition program is planned to be
what’s going on instead of says Large. completed next year, with full operating capability
just knowing if For the Royal Air Force the LTPA capabilities provide achieved by April 2021. The LTPA is necessarily complex
something a mixture of training, testing and evaluation from S3 to to evolve the support for the test and evaluation needs of
works.” development firing of weapons. This has included BVLOS its multiple customers, as well as develop the
(Beyond Visual Line of Sight) air-to-air missiles such as technological advances demanded by the sector. \\
“We can represent a wide range of activities

for the Navy from a weapons perspective”

CW-ATI-half-page-Nov-2020_v01-outlines.pdf 1 11/19/2020 9:57:07 AM
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The latest ground system can provide preflight
checkouts, live flight testing, and postflight
analysis in any operational environment
H
ardware and software based on IRIG 106 Chapter
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provide up to (32) bi-directional 50Mbps PCM transmitted 1
channels, up to (3) Ethernet channels, (2) over Ethernet
analog channels, (4) UART channels and (1) networks and received for reproduce/record 1 // The DataHUB features full measurement and Math Engine
video channel. One or more channel groups with another DataHUB. sufficient interfaces and processing from PCM, MIL-STD-1553, ARINC
are recorded to removable solid-state hard When portability is called for, the DataHUB functionality to meet the 429, Analog, and Ethernet (TMATS S-Group
drives and/or published over Ethernet Portable offers 4 (TTL & RS-422) needs of the most Message/Sub-Message). The number of
interfaces. The Ethernet interfaces can also be bi-directional PCM channels and 1 Ethernet demanding applications measurements and derives has proved so far
used to subscribe to other CH10 publishers or channel. It is also offered with or without a 2 // NetView Data Fusion limitless. NetView also provides IRIG 106
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In preflight scenarios, engineers processing and display no matter the
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LISTEN TO THE BEAT

Pressure measurement within turbine combustion
chamber has a key role to play in preventing
damages and failures
G
as turbine manufacture companies are Sensors shall also provide: long MTBF,
well aware of the evolving environmental continuous operations within nominal specs,
regulations. The quest of lower NOx wide frequency range, reliable operations in
emissions in newer designs can also be met high vibration conditions and capability to
by the use of leaner fuel mixtures. The main detect small pressure waves within in a
advantage of using lean fuel technology is a dynamic range of 500psi.
desired and resulting single digit NOx Meggitt’s full array of pressure sensors
emissions value, on the other hand features Inconel construction body and
combustors operate on the edge of instability. metal-sheathed, mineral-insulated integral
This may lead to problems with hardline cable that allow the unit to operate
combustion resonances, such as flame constantly at high temperatures: 1000°F 1
instability and resulting excessive dynamic (538°C) and intermittently at 1200°F (650°C)
pressures. The pressure waves caused by for model 522M17 for instance. 1 // Meggitt offers a The 522Mx series is designed to use a
unstable flame front are relatively small, but Thermal transient effects is minimized solution for the compressive seal mechanism (i.e. crush
when the frequency of the low amplitude through the use of thermally contoured measurement of sensitive washer, precious metal plated washer, etc).
dynamic pressure
waves equals the resonant frequency of the diaphragm designs. measurements
As the entire sensor body the 522Mxx flange
combustor geometry, extremely high To avoid surrounding vibration to affect is made of Inconel which after heat-treatment
amplitude waves are formed. This effect is pressure measurement, acceleration 2 // Dynamic pressure imparts high material strength properties,
often called humming or pulsations. This can compensation is provided within the units, units are available from including compressive strength. Furthermore,
Meggitt with either
cause reductions in performance and the 522Mxx series incorporates a built in differential or single the flange is isolated by design from the
sometimes cause significant structural accelerometer which detects interference ended coupling sensing element diaphragm, this will grant
damage to the turbine itself. The solution to produced by vibration, and which generates minimization of strain induced error from
this challenge is to continuously monitor and an electrical output opposite in polarity to the installation.
detect the presence of pressure pulsations. pressure signal. The amount of torque required to seal the
Meggitt offers a suitable solution to Upon sensor versions, units can have mounting needs to be determined by
measure sensitive dynamic pressure differential (i.e. separated grounding) or customer, as a flange adaptor shall be
measurements even under high static single ended output, be fitted with standard designed to properly place and compress the
pressure and extreme temperatures. Typical three meters or with custom cable length, be flange to maintain a seal under operating
applications include: combustion monitoring, equipped with the required connector, or conditions. Usually the threads are torqued to
high pressure steam, propulsion testing and provide 12 or 17 pC/g dynamic output signal. achieve this compressive load.
gas turbine testing. Considering unit range of 500psi, the Considering installation Meggitt supplies
Focusing on gas turbine development, the dynamic bandwidth is between 31 to 40g flexible high and middle temperature cables
environment sensors are required to operate dynamics. Meggitt also provides ATEX to simplify cable routing out of the hot area. In
is extremely challenging — above 900°F certified version to allow permanent addition to temperature features, protection
temperature and up to 2500psi (160 bar) of installation on series machines running in layers and braid covers are available to
static pressure. power plants. mechanically safeguard the cables.
Information derived from Meggitt’s
dynamic pressure sensor provides the user
with critical data to effectively analyze the
efficiency of the combustion process for
proper fuel-air mixture in order to attain
optimal engine performance. With the ability
to fine tune turbine performance the operator
is able to reduce emissions and identify
issues regarding engine performance for
maintenance scheduling. \\
Meggitt
2

PRODUCTS & SERVICES
HIGH-SPEED CAMERAS FOR

WIND TUNNEL TESTING
Wind tunnel testing can simulate the effect of flow
on everything from full-sized aircraft to small
individual parts and devices
W
hen preparing for a wind tunnel test air temperature will have on
three key points, application type, an event. If air temperature is
lighting concerns, and data a concern, then it may be
management, must be taken into necessary to build
consideration to ensure that the test is special rigging that will
efficient and accurate. help filter the heat
The combination of testing environment generated. It may also be
and the type of application heavily influences necessary to consider using
which high-speed camera will be necessary signaling and timing features on the camera 1
for an experiment. Field of view requirements that will only illuminate specific areas for a
and movement speed affect the frames-per- short duration to minimize the impact. A 1 // The Phantom range of the 10GB download connection means
second while the event size and depth-of- high-speed camera, such as the Phantom high-speed cameras offers researchers can quickly review footage to
field will determine if a 1 or 4 Megapixel (Mpx) T1340, with high sensitivity is a must for wind a range of options to suit determine if modifications to setup are
wind tunnel testing
camera is needed. Wind tunnels can be as tunnel testing. The higher sensitivity sensor required. Streaming cameras are beginning to
small as a container on a laboratory means less light is needed, which means 2 // Wind tunnel testing find their place in wind tunnel testing as
countertop or as large as an entire facility reduced temperature concerns, less facility can require a large area of technological advancements have allowed
visibility with less detail
capable of accommodating vehicles and modifications, and possibly less air flow high-speed images to be captured for
aircraft. When a large area of visibility is interruption. 3 // The field of view and extremely long durations instead of only a
required and more detail is needed a camera Data management is a major concern movement speed will few seconds at a time. For example, a
such as the Phantom Flex 4K, which can when discussing wind tunnel testing due to determine what level of Phantom S990 streaming camera, when
detail is required from the
accommodate high field of view in 4K the accessibility and costs of using a facility. combined with the Phantom DVR, can record
camera
resolution, may be ideal. Since any wind tunnel larger than a small up to 22TB of high-speed imaging without
Lighting concerns require significant personal laboratory setup can be extremely stopping while other cameras can only hold
consideration during wind tunnel testing. A expensive to operate, they are not a resource up to 288GB in the RAM.
wind tunnel is a completely black space built at every institution or even country. Quite When looking at wind tunnel testing and
to absorb light so that data is not altered with often researchers must book facility time the tools to make research successful it is
shadows and reflections. This means that it months in advance and pay large fees to use critical that the appropriate camera is
can be more difficult to produce sufficient a wind tunnel that will accommodate their selected. A balance between cost, light
light within the structure. It also means that needs. This is where data management sensitivity, image requirements, and data
the required level of light can heat the options, such as non-volatile media storage, management must be met to produce the
environment which in turn can have 10GB Ethernet download connection, and best data possible. That is only possible
significant impact on how a flow behaves. even streaming cameras can ensure time when a wide variety of cameras are
Because some flow materials are more easily and money are spent efficiently. Non-volatile available. Phantom high-speed cameras not
affected by heat fluctuations it is important media allows for memory partitioning, which only offer the broadest range of high-speed
that researchers understand the impact that reduces downtime between test runs, and cameras available but also the best client
support possible. Our field application
experts are available at any time in the
research process to ensure that R&D teams
will be successful during expensive and
time-sensitive events. \\
VISION RESEARCH
2 3

PRODUCTS & SERVICES
FINDING THE RIGHT PATH

If you have multipath and no adaptive
equalizer, you and your data may be lost
1 2
I
t has long been known that aeronautical Any RF-reflective surface in the test-flight 1 // Multipath distortion altering reflection amplitude and delay.
mobile telemetry (AMT) is limited arena can cause an extra propagation path. (left) can ruin a mission; Many equalizer algorithms are theoretically
predominantly by multipath, not noise like it Landscape features – especially tarmacs, equalization (right) can available, covering a broad range of
save it
would be in a deep space link. In recent buildings, mountains, and bodies of water – approaches to this common problem. The one
years, adaptive equalizers have begun to are common culprits, but even reflection off 2 // Quasonix offers characteristic they all share, however, is that
appear in telemetry receivers, with the the test article itself can result in interfering adaptive equalization as their implementation requires substantial
promise of mitigating or even eliminating the copies at the receiving antenna. All of these an option on all third- processing power. Blind equalization – in
generation receivers
damage done by the multipath channel. As a possible sources of data corruption are which the desired signal (or, equally, the
result, many ranges are adopting their use. difficult or impossible to avoid since they 3 // The transmitted signal transmission channel) must be inferred
The basic concept of multipath represent the physical reality of the test site. can reach the receiving without the use of any known data – only
propagation is fairly intuitive, as implied by its And this is one problem that brute force won’t antenna by multiple paths, increases the degree of difficulty.
each with different lengths
name. The signal transmitted from the test solve, or even help. Boosting signal strength Fortunately, compact implementations are
article reaches the receiving antenna by does nothing to reduce errors in the received possible in modern field programmable gate
multiple propagation paths, each with data, as it equally strengthens both the arrays (FPGAs). Quasonix receivers have
different amplitudes, path lengths, and desired signal and its reflections. provided equalizer capability since 2015.
resulting phase offsets. These time-delayed Enter adaptive equalizers. The job of the Current equalizer implementations have
signal copies add to the desired line-of-sight equalizer is to undo the effects of the channel, added decision feedback to provide cleaner
signal, potentially constructively or to recover the desired signal’s full spectrum results, even with longer reflection delays
destructively. The net result is frequency- by cancelling unwanted reflections. The and deeper spectral nulls.
selective distortion that can take out adaptive aspect is necessary because the Importantly, this capability works with any
anywhere from a narrow slice to a broad channel changes as the test article or existing transmitter, in any Advanced Range
swath of the desired signal spectrum. reflecting surfaces move, continuously Telemetry (ARTM) or legacy mode, and at any
bit rate. It is transparent to the user, unless
and until it is needed. And because blind
equalizers are not dependent on the
transmitted data, they may be coupled with
other mitigation techniques to improve
performance, such as forward error
correction using LDPC coding.
Adaptive equalization tackles a
fundamental problem in AMT. It has the power
to transform a useless link into an essentially
perfect one, without the need for user
intervention or special settings. Given its
broad availability and low cost, there is
virtually no reason to flight test without it. \\
QUASONIX
3

PRODUCTS & SERVICES
HIGH-SPEED CAMERAS FOR

COMBUSTION ANALYSIS
An investigation into thermo-acoustic oscillations in power
generation equipment has used high-speed cameras to visualize
flame propagation
T
hermo-acoustic oscillations often arise amplification of the thermo-
in combustion equipment such as gas acoustic oscillations.
turbine engines and power generation When looking for a high-
devices. In-phase heat release and pressure speed camera to perform
oscillations result in positive net energy combustion analysis, there are
transfer to these devices which causes many important factors to
resonance that can potentially lead to consider. Three of the most
thermal and mechanical fatigue that, in important factors are
extreme cases, can destroy the devices. By described below.
studying the dynamics of the pressure For combustion
oscillations, scientists can develop applications, light
technology to mitigate the damage caused by sensitivity is probably
those oscillations. the single most critical
Dr. Sina Kheirkhah is an assistant consideration when it
professor of mechanical engineering at the comes to purchasing a
University of British Columbia, Okanagan. At high-speed camera,
the university’s Combustion for Propulsion especially when that
and Power laboratory, he conducts thermo- camera is to be used with
acoustic investigations that contribute to the an image intensifier. Because
knowledge of combustion instabilities and of the way they work (i.e.
the improvement of new combustion devices. multiplying photons), image
Kheirkhah uses a monochrome Photron intensifiers are inherently
FASTCAM Nova S12 high-speed camera noisy. The higher the
coupled with an ultraviolet image intensifier sensitivity of the camera, the
to visualize the thermo-acoustics and less gain that is required by
kinematics of flame propagation. He runs the the intensifier and the less 1
Nova S12 at between 1,000 and 5,000 fps noise that is introduced into
with a 25-microsecond exposure to capture the images. Less noise results in better 1 // Photron’s FASTCAM requirement, but also to make certain that the
high quality, blur-free videos of the extremely image quality. Nova S12 was used to frame rate can be attained with sufficient
fast combustion events. The ultraviolet Light sensitivity is measured in many capture data about pixel resolution to capture the necessary
intensifier is electronically synchronized to ways by high-speed camera suppliers. thermo-acoustics as part detail within the camera’s field of view.
of the research program
the Nova S12 allowing the camera to collect Therefore, ISO values indicated on data at the University of
It is often necessary, when researching
chemiluminescence around 310nm, which sheets might not provide an entirely British Columbia combustion events, to synchronize
has significant contribution from OH*, accurate description of a camera’s high-speed cameras with other equipment
as related to the heat release rate for sensitivity. An onsite, real world evaluation of such as image intensifiers and data
premixed flames. the camera is essential to determine if image acquisition devices. Therefore, it is important
For his thermo-acoustic tests, Kheirkhah quality and light sensitivity are appropriate that the camera provides user-adjustable
also pairs the Nova S12 with pressure for a given application. signal delays and similar controls to ensure
transducers so that pressure changes taking Perhaps the most obvious consideration in highly accurate synchronization of the high-
place within the combustion event can be the purchase of a high-speed camera is frame speed video with information captured by
measured in synchronization with rate. How many video frames per second are the other equipment. \\
high-speed image sequences. The camera required to capture a sufficient number of
and intensifier provide the ability to see how images to allow you to analyze your high- FREE READER INQUIRY SERVICE
the heat release rate changes over time and speed event? Depending upon the specific
space. The data from the pressure event, combustion applications can require Photron
transducers provides insight into the regions frame rates between 1,000 and 50,000 fps. It For more about this advertiser, visit www.magupdate.co.uk/pati
within the combustor that might lead to the is important to not only achieve the frame rate

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COMPACT EMBEDDED WIRELESS ETHERNET

STANAG3910 TRANSCEIVER FEATURES
INTERFACES BURST MODE SOQPSK
MODULATION
T he STANAG3910/
EFEX bus is the core
Avionics Databus
Interface on-board the
Eurofighter aircraft. Data transmission is at 20Mb/sec over
H igh-speed wireless Internet
Protocol transceivers
that enable ground control
a fiber optical high speed network using a Star coupled of the airborne system hold
topology. The Rafale aircraft also uses STANAG3910 but great promise for military
with an electrical implementation. flight test programs. Until
STANAG3910 also encompasses the legacy MIL- now, wireless radios have
STD-1553 bus for the low speed (LS) interface. Operating been hampered by short
in tandem STANAG3910/EFEX offers increased bandwidth transmission range. What’s
and throughput for avionics applications. more, their wide bandwidths
With the exception of the Fiber Optical Front End make them susceptible to
(FOFE) the available integrated electronics components interference from other radiators
required to build such an interface or test equipment can operating within the same
be significantly reduced. Full test and simulation bandwidth, such as LTE/5G Ethernet interface for its primary
interfaces come in a variety of form factors such as PCI/ providers, commercial satellites, or routed interface and multiple serial
PCIe and CPCI/PXIe take full advantage of SoC (System another telemetry links. ports for external device control,
on a Chip) technologies and low power devices driving Curtiss-Wright’s new TTC including an RS-232/422 serial
down the size and weight but with an increased MTBF. nXCVR-3140A-1 TmNS transceiver console port for configuration, BIT
With a scalable hardware / software design concept, is the industry’s first telemetry monitoring, and troubleshooting.
this has facilitated a further scaled down interface for radio to realize the promise of The intelligent radio includes an
embedded applications. For example, on board system high-speed wireless bi-directional integrated high-speed processor
interfaces will only need operate as a remote terminals or Ethernet communications for and a power-efficient RF
bus controller and Bus Monitor with no error injection and airborne platforms. It enables flight transmitter and receiver module.
fixed bus coupling. In fact, such a design has already been test centers to dynamically adjust Multiple nXCVR radios can work
implemented for a Eurofighter operational STANAG3910/ the spectrum required for test together to perform wireless
EFEX interface for a customer specific STANG3910/EFEX vehicles, while program managers routing functions. Bandwidth is
interface FOFE module. and aircraft manufacturer shared between radios, with each
This has led to the creation of an industry standard form personnel can monitor tests from receiving one or more timeslots for
factor based on XMC with a small footprint of 149mm x off site. The nXCVR operates with a transmitting packets. Timeslots
74mm well suited to embedded applications with an fixed signal bandwidth of 15.6 MHz can be statically or dynamically
operating temperature range of -40 to +85°C. A PrEN3715 (the bit rate is fixed at 20Mbps) allocated during network
interface connects to the STANAG3910 physical bus I/O and supports a 125 nautical mile operation. Two radios can connect
e.g. to an external FOFE module. All interfaces are routed transmit link path. transparently in a point-to-point
to a robust 68-pin SCSI connector including the dual The power-efficient transceiver configuration. SNMP is supported
redundant STANAG3838/MIL-STD-1553B bus signals, a is the first to incorporate the latest for remote management and
TTL-trigger I/O, IRIG-B time code and 8x discrete I/O's. burst mode SOQPSK modulation monitoring. Using this transceiver,
Signal access is via the P16 rear I/O XMC connector with technology to deliver efficient personnel can remotely control
a VITA 46.9 x8d, x12d and x24s signal mapping. All this is synchronization and maximum recorders, reprogram transmitters,
in compliance with the XMC/PCIe standards, XMC single reception distance under harsh and stream telemetry data within a
lane, 2.5Gb/s PCI Express V2.0 compliant and compatible environmental conditions. The typical range of hundreds of
to higher versions. \\ nXCVR optimizes the quality of square miles. \\
data transmission and reception
while minimizing the risk of
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aIM ground and air-to-air wireless Curtiss-Wright
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DESIGN TEST AND VALIDATION DATA LOGGERS
P ilot and flight crew safety involves many aspects which
need to be considered when developing aircrew
equipment and protective gear. During ejection seat events
pilots can by subjected to as much as a 14-16 G impact
which puts them at serious risk of injury. Equally concerning
is the exposure to the long duration forces and vibration that
astronauts experience during launch and re-entry phases.
“Unlike a crash or blast event that literally lasts milliseconds,
astronauts experience intense forces over an extended time
period,” said Mike Beckage, co-founder and CTO of DTS.
The solution? Tiny low-power wearable recorders
equipped with six degrees of freedom (6DOF) sensing.
California-based DTS was awarded projects from NASA and
the U.S. Air Force (USAF) to create two different and unique
data recorders engineered to collect acceleration, force, and
angular velocity measurements that pilots and crew
experience during flight events (high impact), and in space
(long durations).
A single flaw in your system could

spell disaster. A miswired
solenoid, a broken circuit, or a
onset of development as UEI
handles verification tasks that
would otherwise be performed by
The recorders are currently in an advanced development
stage. The high-tech wearables are designed to be worn as
close to the point of interest as possible, likely on or in
defective signal/switch could cause additional hardware. Once your helmets, without affecting test dynamics, interfering with
millions of dollars in damage, or application is deployed, UEI helps equipment, or limiting crew movement.
worse, significant loss of life. You decrease Mean Down Time (MDT) DTS has over 3 decades of experience developing
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application is ready for deployment by detecting failures before they testing, automotive safety
and that is why United Electronic happen, such as current slowly and injury biomechanics.
Industries (UEI) design validation rising over time indicating an DTS is the recipient of
and verification systems are relied impending issue. multiple Small Business
upon for unmatched mission Test validation and design Innovation Research
assurance. UEI solutions are verification is difficult enough. With contracts with both
designed to monitor your whole flexible 1-12 slot chassis and over NASA and the United
system, detecting faults, and 85+ I/O boards, including avionics States Air Force. \\
providing real-time diagnostics, so (MIL-STD-1553, ARINC-429, AFDX
you have the critical data you need and others), analog and digital,
to make critical decisions. RVDT/LVDT, synchro/resolver, and Index to advertisers
UEI’s sophisticated onboard much more, UEI can help Aerotech .....................................................................................................................................................................................................29
AIM GmbH .................................................................................................................................................................................................66
monitoring system, the Guardian streamline development so you can AOS Technologies AG .......................................................................................................................................................................43
Series Advantage, is suitable for a concentrate on your product. With Curtiss-Wright ........................................................................................................................................................................................63
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Integration-Labs (SIL), Hardware- the application is sustainable for FMV .................................................................................................................................................................................................................66
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in-the-loop (HIL) simulations, and the long-term. When you need to Highland Technology ........................................................................................................................................................................41
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wiring, current/voltage monitoring FREE READER INQUIRY SERVICE Safran Data Systems ..................................................................................................................................inside back cover
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aft cabin
// BEN SAMPSON
Typhoon 1b
vital statistics
Feb 1940
A FORGOTTEN HERO?
First flight
A group of volunteers is working hard to resurrect an

41ft 7in
Wingspan
1
under-appreciated WW2 aircraft used before it vanishes forever
31ft 11.5in
T he UK’s RAF Typhoon was in service between 1941 and
1945. Despite a number of early problems with the
fitting of longer exhaust stubs. The problems were
remedied as the aircraft matured and the Napier Sabre
Length
aircraft it evolved to play a vital role providing ground
support during the Allied invasion of Nazi-held Europe in
1944. Yet the Typhoon is overlooked by most historical
went on to be used into the 1950s.
The Typhoon was of all-metal construction, using a
steel tube sub-structure for the forward fuselage and a
13,250 lbs
Max Takeoff Weight
accounts of WW2, which tend to focus on the RAF’s semi-monocoque construction for the rear fuselage. The
Spitfire fighters and Wellington bombers.
The Hawker Aircraft Company made 3,317 Typhoons
during WW2, but there are no flying examples of the
rear of the aircraft proved a weak spot, with the tail
coming off during flight causing several crashes. Flight
testing identified the failure as a bracket holding the
412mph
Top speed
aircraft left. A group of volunteers in the UK is working to elevator mass balance bell crank linkage, the bouncing of
return a salvaged Typhoon, RB396, to flight, so that this
historically-significant aircraft and the people who flew it
which caused large amounts of flutter in the tail. This was
remedied with a series of weights. It would take until 1943 510 mIles
Range
have a memorial to be remembered by. before the Typhoon was considered fully reliable.
Development of the Typhoon began in 1937 as a high Around the same time a long-range, ground attack
altitude interceptor-fighter and successor to the
Hurricane and Spitfire fighters. The larger design of the
aircraft was required by the Allied Forces. The great
structural strength and thickness of the Typhoon’s wing,
35,200ft
Ceiling
airplane and its chunky wings was necessary because of as well as the powerful Sabre engine, meant the aircraft
its larger, more powerful engine, the 24-cylinder Napier
Sabre. The Sabre, which generates around double the
power of the Merlin engine used in the Hurricane and
could carry more fuel, heavy cannon armaments, rockets
and bombs, providing a potent fast-strike capability. By
the time of the Normandy landings in June 1944, the
2,260HP
From the Napier
Spitfire, was one of the first and few piston engines to use Typhoon had become a common sight over North Sabre engine
sleeve-valve technology. Rapid development meant that it Western Europe, and was used in raids against
cut-out a lot during testing. The throttle gates could be
opened to excess, leaving the aircraft prone to being
over-throttled. Early models also suffered from carbon
communications and transport targets and to support
ground forces. More than half of the 1200 people who flew
the Typhoon during WW2 died doing so.
1
Crew
monoxide seeping into the cockpits, which led to the The Hawker Typhoon Restoration Group was launched
in 2016 to rebuild RB396, a crashed Typhoon it acquired in 1 // Just one original
Typhoon remains intact and
2013. The Group, which is also restoring a Sabre engine to on display at the RAF
power RB396, requires around £4 million (US$5.3 million) Museum in Hendon, UK
more to complete its project by 2024 and is looking for
2 // Problems with the
both corporate partners and individual donors. \\ Typhoon meant it became
one of the most tested
aircraft used during WW2
Find out more about the Typhoon and the

2
project to restore it to flight at www.hawker-typhoon.com

DATA SYSTEMS
SAFRAN
DATA SYSTEMS
Crédits: Lockheed Martin, Sikorsky, Boeing, Rocket Lab - Kieran Fanning and Sam Toms
WE ARE TELEMETRY™
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ultra-small form factor, only 1 mm in height. Therefore, they are ideal for measurements in
boundary layers and turbulence.
www.grasacoustics.com

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Thermotron test chambers come in A global vibration manufacturer

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