[vsnet-chat 7237] October issue - Aerotest News

[Ben Drew]

October Issue 


Published by 
UKIP Media & Events.
Publishers of Aerospace Testing Magazine and Aerotest News. Organizers of Aerospace 
Testing Expo North America and Aerospace Testing Expo Europe 




NASA’s plan to build a capsule-shaped return vessel for future lunar missions 
has increased the competition between two companies hoping to land the contract 
for the next-generation spaceship. Teams led by Northrop Grumman and Lockheed 
Martin are competing for the contract. The capsule-like vessel is similar to 
Northrop’s draft proposal submitted to NASA this year.



Surgical Innovations Group, a designer and manufacturer of surgical devices, 
has announced it has signed an agreement with Rolls-Royce to develop instruments 
for use in the repair, overhaul and maintenance of aero engines. Surgical’s 
design team has developed patented inspection devices, which incorporate advanced 
surgical instrument technology. The devices facilitate access to locations 
that are three-dimensionally displaced from the original entry point, allowing 
the inspection of internal components of an engine while it is installed on 
the aircraft. This obviates the need to strip the engine down; in the same 
way that keyhole surgery eliminates the need to open up the body.



VXI Technology has announced that Boeing has selected the EX1629 remote strain 
gage measurement unit for structural testing and certification activities of 
its commercial airplane models, including the new Boeing 787 Dreamliner.













     
1   Long range fire control
2   The Il-76 revitalised
3   Heavy arm of the navy
4   Reach for the stars
5   Flight of the Falcon
6   Balloon goes up
7   Stealthily moving closer
8   Satellite launch
9   An impressive CV
10   Let off the leash
11   Extracting information
12   Fatigue tests reach the 1,000 mark
      



1. Long range fire control 

Northrop Grumman has begun initial flight-testing of the advanced fire-control 
radar being developed for the Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) 
aircraft. The radar is designed to enable F-35 pilots to effectively engage 
air and ground targets at long range, while also providing situational awareness 
for enhanced survivability.


Designated the AN/APG-81, the active electronically scanned array radar was 
first flown on Northrop Grumman's BAC-1-11 testbed aircraft. During the flights, 
the all-aspect search, air-track and synthetic-aperture radar mode capabilities 
of the radar were successfully evaluated against airborne and ground-based 
targets. 

"The outstanding performance of the radar on these initial flights underscores 
the intense development effort underway on the F-35 mission avionics, and marks 
the culmination of a successful design, hardware build, software development 
and systems integration process," said John C. Johnson, vice president of Combat 
Avionics Systems at Northrop Grumman. "We expect to accelerate the validation 
of the radar performance during the flight-test program and progress with the 
systems-integration effort ahead of schedule." 

In November 2005 the first F-35 radar system will be delivered to Lockheed 
Martin where it will be installed into the JSF Mission Systems Integration 
Lab and tested with other F-35 mission-avionics systems.
 

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2. The Il-76 revitalised

The first IL-76 cargo aircraft equipped with PS-90A-76 engines and ‘new generation 
avionics’ has completed a 30-minute test flight at an altitude of 700m   


According to the Volga-Dnepr Group the aircraft is designed to meet ICAO noise 
and emission requirements. The flight took place at the TAPO plant in Tashkent, 
Russia.

Volga-Dnepr Group President Alexey Isaikin said: “The first flight of the Il-76TD-90VD 
is the result of a four-year project that utilised the combined expertise of 
the professionals of the Volga-Dnepr Group, Ilyushin Aviation Complex, TAPO 
and the Perm Motor Plant within the framework of the national IL-76 modernisation 
project.”

Assembly of the first Il-76TD-90VD was financed by Volga-Dnepr with investment 
from Russian and international financial institutions. According to general 
director of Volga-Dnepr-Leasing Andrei Pakhomov, it will be virtually “the 
only aircraft in the 30-50 tonnes market segment capable of transporting oversize 
cargo to any airport”.
 

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3. Heavy arm of the navy

German Federal Procurement Agency and prime contractor Diehl BGT Defence have 
signed the procurement contract for the heavyweight anti-ship Missile System 
RBS15 Mk3 from Saab. The cooperation agreement with Diehl BGT Defence includes 
development, production and marketing.    


“This is a breakthrough for the RBS15 Mk3, and we are naturally both pleased 
and proud that the German Navy has chosen us and our business partner. This 
also makes Germany the first NATO navy to operate the RBS15 Mk3 system,” explained 
Tomas Samuelsson, president of Saab Bofors Dynamics. The ordered missile systems 
will arm Germany’s new K130-class corvettes, which are currently under construction. 


The RBS15 Mk3 is a powerful, versatile surface-to-surface missile system with 
a range of more than 200km, which can combat land targets. Sweden and Germany 
are planning to further develop the system jointly and adapt it to future requirements. 
The value of the contract for Saab Bofors Dynamics – the system’s design authority 
– is SKr350 million.
 

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4. Reach for the stars

The re-engined and upgraded Chetak (now Chetan) helicopter from Hindustan Aeronautic 
Limited (HAL) has successfully completed hot and high altitude tests in the 
Siachen Glacier. The performance proved the Chetan could reach the Himalayan 
heights up to its service ceiling of 21,300ft. Until now the Chetak’s operations 
have been restricted to 10,000ft due to a number of limitations.
 

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5. Flight of the Falcon

The third Falcon 7X has flown for the first time under the control of pilots 
Dominique Chenevier and Etienne Faurdessus from Dassault’s facility in Bordeaux-Merignac, 
France. The aircraft reached an altitude of 41,000ft and flew at Mach 0.82.


The aircraft landed at the Dassault Aviation Flight Test Centre in Istres, 
France after a flight that lasted 1 hour 43 minutes. Falcon 7X s/n 03 will 
primarily be used for avionics, systems, and function and reliability testing.

The 7X flight test program has now reached 171 hours in a total of 60 flights. 
According to Dassault, the fly-by-wire system has undergone rigorous testing 
and responded with ease and precision to inputs. The program has performed 
landings and take-offs at maximum aft and maximum forward CG as well as maximum 
take-off weight. A climb to 48,000ft and 3g manoeuvres have also been performed. 


“The low speed handling quality of the 7X is very promising,” said the senior 
test pilot for Dassault Aviation Yves Kerherve. “The landing performance of 
this aircraft has met our highest expectations following simulation work.”

Ten pilots have flown the 7X including one from the European Aviation Safety 
Agency (EASA). Approximately 1,200 test hours have been allotted before final 
certification by the FAA and EASA in late 2006. The Falcon 7X s/n 02 first 
flew in early July 2005, s/n 01 in March.
 

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6. Balloon goes up

The introduction and testing of a revolutionary new propulsion system has been 
revealed by Cyber Defense Systems. The propulsion system for the Mid Altitude 
Airships (MAA) SA 90 is being built by Techsphere Systems International and 
is designed to maintain a geo-stationary position at a cruise altitude of up 
to 25,000ft. The SA 90 under development is a semi-spherical airship with the 
four-engine CyberPOD propulsion system, which is designed for continuous operation 
24 hours-a-day for a maximum of two days on station. 


A critical subassembly of the propulsion system is the pylon assembly developed 
for the MAA program. The system incorporates an optimised large-diameter propeller 
for the high altitude, low specific thrust airship conditions. The support 
structure, mounting system and articulating prop-drive have been analysed extensively 
by finite element methods. A detailed forced harmonic life analysis of the 
structures attached to the semi-rigid structure has been performed, indicating 
a long life capability. 

“We are excited to introduce what we feel is an advanced airship propulsion 
system currently unavailable in the marketplace today,” said Billy Robinson, 
CEO of Cyber Defense Systems. “This new system will manage a heavier payload, 
operate longer and more efficiently, and will be able to withstand severe weather 
conditions more effectively.” 
 

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7. Stealthily moving closer

Two companies have reached three milestones in a program to modernise the B-2 
stealth bomber's radar system with an advanced, more reliable antenna. 


The B-2 radar-modernisation team from Raytheon and Northrop Grumman passed 
a final design review by the US Air Force and delivered the first test model 
of the radar for integration, test and software development. The two companies 
completed a suite of tests that proved the hardware and software work together 
as one subsystem. The effort will replace the current antenna with an active, 
electronically scanned array (AESA) antenna. 

“Radar modernisation is one of a series of programs Northrop Grumman and the 
USAF are conducting to enhance the B-2’s ability to respond to emerging worldwide 
threats as a key element of the military’s network-centric warfare concept,” 
said Gene Fraser, vice president and B-2 program manager at Northrop Grumman’s 
Integrated Systems Sector. 

Following the radar delivery, the B-2 team completed initial radar-subsystem 
integration and acceptance testing ahead of schedule, paving the way for higher-level 
system integration and performance tuning. The current B-2 radar work is part 
of a US$382 million system development and demonstration (SDD) contract awarded 
by the USAF in 2004. 
 

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8. Satellite launch

A Delta II launch vehicle has successfully delivered the first of the modernised 
Block IIR Global Positioning System (GPS) satellites to space for the US Air 
Force.


The Boeing Delta II rocket carrying the GPS IIR-14 (M) spacecraft lifted off 
from Space Launch Complex 17A at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station at the end 
of September. Following a nominal 24-minute flight, the rocket deployed the 
satellite to a transfer orbit.
 

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9. An impressive CV

The US Air Force has taken delivery of the first production CV-22 Osprey at 
the Bell Helicopter production facility in Amarillo, Texas.


Produced jointly by Bell Helicopter and The Boeing Company, the CV-22 is the 
USAF Special Operations variant of the V-22 and will be used for long-range 
special operations missions, contingency operations, and evacuations and maritime 
operations.

“The CV-22 delivers on its promise,” said Bob Kenney, vice president, Bell 
Boeing V-22 Joint Program Director. “The combination of vertical lift capability, 
speed and range provides the special operations warfighter with the aircraft 
necessary to complete long-range missions.”

In addition to the standard communications and navigations suite found on all 
V-22s, the CV-22 has an advanced electronic warfare suite, a multi-mode radar, 
which permits flight at very low altitude in zero visibility, a retractable 
aerial refuelling probe, four radios and flight engineer seat/crew positions 
in the cockpit.
 

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10. Let off the leash

BAE Systems has achieved the first autonomous, untethered flight of its third-generation 
ducted-fan unmanned aerial vehicle. The VTOL air vehicle completed a course 
of 10 waypoints at BAE Systems’ Southern California flight test facility. 


The seven-minute flight of the IAV2 air vehicle demonstrated a pre-programmed 
flight plan that included automatic take-off, waypoint navigation with multiple 
groundspeeds and altitudes, and loitering and automatic landing. The demonstration 
flight was achieved 10 days after the air vehicle’s first flight. 
 

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11. Extracting information

Raytheon has successfully completed flight trials and acceptance testing for 
the EXTRACT System – an airborne reconnaissance system aboard a special airborne 
reconnaissance aircraft for the UK’s Royal Air Force.


The company provided airborne reconnaissance systems, ground based analysis 
systems and a rear crew trainer, and will provide continued contractor logistic 
support for the new system until 2013.

The reconnaissance system Raytheon developed consists of an airborne payload 
that examines routine radio and radar emissions while providing electronic 
combat support to military commanders. This upgrade provides enhanced automated 
capabilities to respond to current and future threats.

Derek Whittaker, the British Ministry of Defence project manager, stated: “A 
project of this complexity is not without its problems, but the Raytheon engineers, 
project managers and senior management have to be congratulated on the manner 
in which they have all worked closely with the UK MoD to provide a system that 
in some respects far exceeds the original expectation.”
 

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12. Fatigue tests reach the 1,000 mark

The Eurofighter Typhoon full-scale fatigue test – Production-Major Airframe 
Fatigue Test (P-MAFT) – has now completed 1,000 test hours.


The test involved applying half a million load distributions. The process will 
be repeated 18 times to complete the full-scale test over five years – the 
equivalent to a 25-year in-service life. The next major milestone will be 3,000 
hours of testing, equating to approximately 1,000 hours of flight clearance, 
at which point physical testing surpasses clearance by calculation. 

The testing is conducted at the Structural and Dynamic Test (S&DT) Facility 
at BAE Systems’s Brough site in Yorkshire, UK and will provide evidence for 
the qualification of the airframe on behalf of the four-nation Eurofighter 
partnership.

The P-MAFT Typhoon comprises all six major units (front, centre and rear fuselages, 
left and right hand wings and fin) flying surfaces, canopy and windscreen and 
the undercarriage. On the test, aerodynamic loads are applied to the structure 
along with internal pressures to the cockpit and fuel tanks. Inertia loads 
generated by the major masses, such as the engines, pylons and avionic components 
are also applied. 
 

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EDITOR Christoper Hounsfield (c.hounsfield at ukintpress.com)
PUBLICATION MANAGER Ian Stone (ianstone at ukintpress.com)

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