AF T&E Days High Speed Weapons What is Different Today

2 February 2010
Maj Gen Curt Bedke Commander Air Force Research Laboratory
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Approved for Public Release; 88ABW-2010-0007

Startsand Stops

Hypersonic Capabilities

Persistent and Responsive Precision Engagement On-Demand Force Projection, Anywhere

Globally Deliver Full Spectrum of Kinetic Effects

Global Delivery of Selected Effects Against Time-Sensitive and High-Value Targets

Clandestinely, Globally Deliver Autonomous, Unattended Payloads Responsively Deliver Payloads Into, or Through, Space

Global Reach

Regional Reach

Mans got to know his limitations. Harry Callahan, Magnum Force

National Aerospace Plane cancelled FY95 for primary technical shortfalls: 1. Boundary Layer Transition flow field uncertainty 2. Scramjet Engine immaturity

Scientific Challenges in Hypersonics

Hypersonics: High-speed flow regime where thermodynamic and chemical processes dominate energy transfer between the vehicle and flow Ground simulation cannot match enthalpy, noise, Reynolds number, scale, and nonequilibrium chemistry contributing to friction and catalytic heating in flight

Boundary Layer Physics Gas-Surface Interactions High-Temperature Materials Internal Thermal Management

Thermal Protection Propulsion Issues

Courtsey: R. Baurle, NASA

Shock Interactions

Combustion

Flow Instability

Laminar

Transitional

Turbulent

image courtesy Hornung, Cal Tech

Skin Friction Increases Vehicle Drag Surface Heat Transfer Rate Increases Structural Thermal Load Boundary Layer Thickness is Fuller Control Surface Effectiveness

Cold Wall Heating Rate (Btu/ft2sec) Cold Wall Heating Rate

When Boundary Layer Transition Occurs

300

Pull-Out Pull-Out Maneuver ALT

250

200

Turbulent

Laminar Flow LORN Transition Time Turbulent Flow

150

100

Laminar Cruise Hypersonic Cruise

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~6x difference between peak turbulent and laminar heating rates.

0 0

Time
500 1000

Boost-Glide Trajectory

Time (sec)

Scramjet Propulsion

Light a Match and keep it burning in a Hurricane Burn fuel quickly (1 millisecond) Control shock generation Optimize fuel/air utilization

High Temperature Materials

Reinforced Carbon/Carbon Leading Edge Oxidation Failure

Cracking and debonding of coating

Spalling

Oxidation and burn-through

What is Different Today?

Advances in Science & Technology are resolving crucial challenges to hypersonic flight: 1. Predictive computational tools that simulate the flight environment with high fidelity 2. Material systems that perform across the high speed flight regime 3. Better understanding of wind tunnel environment and correlation to flight
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Foundation for Hypersonic System Development

ORS

Flight Test

Ground Test

Computations

Must do an effective, efficient job of tying together all three elements

Scramjet Flow Diagnostics

Objectives Characterize internal flow field Measure mass flux Monitor combustion Validate computational data Rationale Inlet Control / Variable Geometry Fuel Control / Equivalence Ratio Monitor Performance Thrust and ISP Impact

Axial Velocity Radial Velocity

Variable Geometry Inlet

Pressure

Vorticity
Combustion Monitoring 11

Broad Program Portfolio

X-51A Scramjet Engine Demonstrator

Falcon Hypersonic Test Vehicle 2 (HTV-2)

Hypersonic International Flight Research Experimentation (HIFiRE)

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X-51A Scramjet Engine Demo (SED)

Milestones 2004 Program Initiated 2009 B-52 Captive Carry Flight

2010 Flight Tests 1-4

Free-flying technology demonstrator for hydrocarbonfueled scramjet propulsion. Air-launched from B-52 aircraft with modified ATACMS rocket booster.
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Hypersonic X-51A Scramjet Engine Demonstrator

X-51A - Hydrocarbon fuel (JP-7), M=4.5 to Mach 6+ flight

X-51A Scramjet Engine Demo

Flight demonstration of scramjet engine Thrust > Drag Engine On Mach 4.5 6.0+ Fixed geometry flowpath 12 minute durability Affordable, high lift Waverider airframe Logistic-friendly hydrocarbon JP-7 fuel ATACMS booster (modified)

Before 2020: Affordable fast reaction standoff weapon Time sensitive targets: rapid response, long range standoff Deeply buried targets Modular payload (penetrator, explosive, or submunition) Reduced vulnerability to air defenses 2030: Affordable on-demand access to space with aircraft-like operations
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X-51A SED First Flight Preparation

4 Flight Tests Feb-May 2010 Engine start Cruiser acceleration Scramjet engine transients Power-on & power-off parameter identification maneuvers

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Falcon Hypersonic Test Vehicle 2

(HTV-2)

Free-flying technology demonstrator for aerodynamic performance and advanced structures

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Quiet Flow Windtunnel Helps Extrapolate HTV-2 Flight Prediction

Transition NASA Langley Mach 6 Noisy flow

Purdue Mach 6 Quiet Tunnel

Developed 95-05 AFOSR

Purdue Mach 6 Quiet Flow

Demonstrated Boundary Layer Transition Reynolds #s at least twice those of conventional tunnels

PSE Analysis Provides Best HTV-2 Flight Transition Estimates

Parabolized Stability Equations (PSE) Most advanced correlation method AFOSR developed mid 90s
Straight-In
Crossrange Design

PSE Correlation of Wind Tunnel Transition

Altitude

Correlated Ground Test Transition Estimate

Contractor Transition Criterion

Velocity PSE method provides order-ofmagnitude improvement in predicting transition

Applying Basic Science Technologies to System Demonstrators

Critical assessment of transition and heating issues allows certification of HTV-2 design and trajectories
Quiet Tunnel measurements counter indications of early transition obtained in conventional facilities
S. Schneider, Purdue

Temp measurements

Advanced Numerical Simulations Provide Revolutionary Insight: Identify Source of Near-Centerline Hot Streaks
G. Candler, U. of Minnesota

Thickening of boundary layer results in less surface heat flux

Streamline Convergence

Langley Mach 10 Empirical

Computational Increased surface pressure due to nose/leading edge shock interactions

Streamline Divergence

HIFiRE
Hypersonic International Flight Research Experimentation

Captive-booster and free-flying research experiments in fundamental sciences. Low-cost sounding rocket approach provides a flying wind tunnel to build hypersonic tool kit.
1 Flight in FY09 9 Flights Scheduled FY10-11

HIFiRE Program
HIFiRE Flight Research Provides Focus

ORS

LRS PGS

M=8, h=50kft, a=0, b=0

Fundamental Knowledge to Enable Future Capabilities

Ground Test and CFD Provide the Foundation

HIFiRE Experiments
Aerosciences:
Boundary layer transition Shock/shock interactions/separations Aerodynamic heating
Aerodynamics & Aerothermodynamics

Propulsion:
Combustion limit of HC fuels Engine mode transition Radical farming

Guidance and Control:

Vehicle dynamics and aerodynamics Integrative, Adaptive Guidance & Control w/ gain adaptation

Propulsion & Aeropropulsion Integration

Sensors and Instrumentation:

GPS translation Aero-optical wave front aberrations Tunable Diode Laser Absorption Spectroscopy flow field measurements Scramjet engine and boundary layers High data rate, high sensor density measurements

Integrated NG&C

HIFiRE Flight 0
Launched from Woomera Test Range, South Australia: 07 May 09

We found it!

A Reminder

Hypersonics is not a problem to be solved, it is a lot of problems to be solved!

Accelerate through jet ramjet scramjet and

back

Aerodynamics Thermodynamics Sensors Configuration changes

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Looking Forward
T&E Challenges for Large Scale Applications
Scale: Missile & Ground Test (1x) 14 long, 9 wide
Inlet
Combustor Nozzle

Scale: Space Access (100x) 100 long, 10 wide

Inlet Nozzle Combustor

Summary
1. Air Force on threshold of truly operating scramjetpowered hypersonic test vehicles for 10s and 100s of seconds 2. Hypersonic flight test is inherently expensive and high risk 3. The risk comes down dramatically with: High fidelity modeling and simulation tools Realistic ground test We need a sustained, steady effort Focused on solving real science problems Driven by practical mission requirements
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