Multi-role Aircraft Research Articles

CONSIDERATIONS CONCERNING THE PEOCESS OF OPERATIONALIZATION WITH AERONAUTICAL PERSONNEL OF THE FIRST AVIATION STRUCTURE EQUIPPED WITH MULTIROLE AIRCRAFT

Romania's membership to the North Atlantic Alliance, the need to ensure interoperability with the aeronautical combat systems of the partners, the reality of equipping the Romanian Air Force with east technology , which could no longer carry out the planned peace service enforcement missions and air defense to crisis and war, imposed on the responsible factors the decision of purchasing the first aviation structure endowed with multirole aircraft. The process was also amplified by the evolutions that took place at the eastern border of NATO, including the borders of Romania, especially after the annexation, in 2014, of the Crimean Peninsula by the Russian Federation. Of absolute complexity and novelty, the acquisition, the training of the aeronautical personnel for the operation of new combat equipment and related activities have imposed on the structures and personnel involved in this process responsibility, innovation, devotion, the first and most important and consistent program of endowment of the Romanian Army being a recognized success of the Romanian Air Force and inspirational, for the subsequent acquisition programs of the national defense.

WEAPON SYSTEMS AND MISSIONS SPECIFIC TO THE F16 AIRCRAFT IN THE ROMANIAN AIR FORCE

The vision of gradual realization of the air defense capacity within the program “Multirole aircraft of the Romanian Air Force”, with the gradual realization by continuing the endowment with the squadrons of F-16 aircraft up to three squadrons. Modernization of the armament line with the latest generation of air-to-air weapons

Record documentation of AFTO 781 series in the aspect of safety of operation of F-16 aircraft at Poznan - Krzesiny airport. Analysis of experience in 2010 - 2020

ObjectivesThe purpose of the article is to present the conclusions and discuss the results of research outcome from the implementation and use of AFTO 781 record documentation in the formation of safety in the process of operation of a multirole aircraft F-16 C/D Block 52+ at Poznan - Krzesiny Airport in 2010 - 2020.MethodsSurveying and analyzing archival documents for comparison in the context of verifying the reliability of data.ResultsThe result of the conducted research is the presentation of research results and conclusions resulting from several years of use of AFTO 781 record documentation in the process of operation of F-16 C/D Block 52+ multirole aircraft at Poznan - Krzesiny Airport in 2010 – 2020.ConclusionsThe main objective of the conducted study was to define the factors determining the functionality of the AFTO 781 series record documentation, in the process of maintaining a certain level of safety in the operation of F-16 aircraft. In addition, the analysis of the results of the study allowed the author to interpret the ability of technical personnel to use the functionality of the AFTO 781 series record documentation in question, as well as to define the following conclusions and proposals for action, in order to minimize the occurrence of potential risks in the operation of aircraft equipment in the future.

Innovative application of quality methods in the homogeneity assessment of the F-16 aircraft group in terms of generated noise

Given the high-power concentration of combustion engines used in military aviation, it is reasonable to measure the instantaneous surges in the sound pressure level. Therefore, a re�search question was raised regarding the differences in this level for various aircraft engines of the same type (F100-PW-229) to assess their size and statistical significance. The aim of the paper is to discuss the attempt to check the significant difference between the parameters of the acoustic level generated by the aircraft engines. The measurements were carried out for 32 engines of the F-16 Block 52+ multirole aircraft during takeoff process. The parameters of noise in the point system and in the octave distribution were subject to analysis. Statistical methods dedicated to assessing production stability, i.e. the Shewhart chart, were applied. The results of the analysis showed that the discrepancies generally do not exceed a value of +/− 3σ . Therefore, it can be concluded that the analogous results for F-16 noise are homo�geneous. Thus, the Shewhart chart method proved useful for assessing the homogeneity of these measurements.

Design and analysis of a linear servo-actuated variable-span morphing wing

Morphing aircraft are multi-role aircraft that change their external shape substantially to adapt to a changing mission environment during flight. Current interest in morphing vehicles has been increased by advances in smart technologies such as materials, sensors and actuators. These advances have led to a series of breakthroughs in a wide variety of disciplines that, when fully realized for aircraft applications, have the potential to produce large improvements in aircraft safety, affordability, and environmental compatibility. Morphing wing designs include rotating, sliding and inflating based on shape change mechanisms. The current trend in technology development shows that there is lots to improve with regards to aircraft size, flying range and flight performance envelope. There should be a balance between shape change and the penalties in cost, complexity and weight. Final performance of the morphing aircraft depends heavily on how such balances in design, manufacture and morphing mechanism can be achieved. This paper was an attempt to design and perform a further analysis of an efficient variable span wing for aircraft and fixed wing UAVs.

Perspective Assumptions of Pilot Training on Multi-Role Combat Aircraft in Poland

Abstract The article deals with the subject of diagnosing the current system of pilot training on multi-role aircraft in Poland. The authors pay particular attention to changes in its organization, arising from the compromise between technology, needs and funds on the part of the organizers. The recommended perspective changes in its organization in Poland result from the past three years of research in the Air Force University and institutions engaged in the discussed issues. The issues continue the research process handled in the dissertation [5], resulting from analyses and comparisons with world trends in this respect. The obtained findings suggest that it is essential to achieve the planned outcomes of training pilots on multi-role aircraft, at the same time reducing time and costs. It is linked to the introduction of modern aircraft or equipment supporting the process of pilot training.

Analysis of hazards occurring during the use of hydrazine

The article presents the safety issue bonded to the Polish Air Force F-16 multirole aircraft. The authors pointed out the issue of fuel used for emergency supply system of these aircrafts. The paper emphasized the fact that these aircrafts require special fuel with designation H-70, which is 70% aqueous solution of toxic hydrazine. For this reason, the rescue services of Polish Air Force bases where Polish F-16 are stationed had to be adjusted accordingly. Just as importantly authors noticed that in the event of an emergency landing of this aircraft at different airports can receive difficulties associated with the possible leakage of hydrazine, or its neutralization in the absence of specialized Hydrazine Response Team, which are part of the Airport Rescue Group.

The flight recorders of modern multi-role aircraft operated in the Polish Armed Forces

In the operation of multi-purpose aircraft used in the Polish Armed Forces, various flight parameter registration systems are used, which results from the diversification of supplies of aircraft used in the Polish Army. The first technologies, imported from the east, were gradually enriched with Spanish solutions, up to the American ones mounted on F-16 airplanes. The indigenous research and scientific activity is also very important. It has found application in Polish airframe structures and modifications of older types of structures used in the Polish Armed Forces over the last decades. The article lists the systems for recording aircraft F-16 and MiG-29.

Hazard identification process implementation in selected analysis domain of the maintenance system of the multirole F-16 aircraft

In this article authors researched maintenance system of the multirole F-16 aircraft. For the study purposes, the F-16 maintenance system model has been created. From this model, the main analysis domain was derived, comprising F-16 fault troubleshooting process. Considering such an analysis domain, authors presented tools and procedures, how to identify hazard sources, in order to specify main hazards. The main goal of this article was to provide hazard identification process results as a hazard characteristics which include: a group of hazard sources, specified hazards and the most probable/predictable consequences and severities of the hazard activation. Keywords: hazard source, hazard, hazard identification, risk management, F-16 multirole aircraft, maintenance system

The International Politics of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter

There is a good reason why the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program is so often described as the arms deal of the century. In a report published on the last day of 2010, the Pentagon estimated lifetime operating and sustainment costs for the US F-35 Aeet-then projected at 2,443 units, not counting the prototypes-at US$1.45 trillion.1 Cost analyses of this type are always much-debated: How many units will be sold in total? How does one define lifetime? How reliable will the system be once it enters service? What will be the nature of its deployment? And so on. Beyond dispute is that the F-35 constitutes one of the largest, if not the largest, weapons programs in modem history.The story of the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) began in 1994, when the United States Congress decided to merge two separate Department of Defense fighter jet research projects. The idea was to produce a fifth generation fighter aircraft for the joint use of the US Air Force (USAF), Navy, and Marine Corps. Preliminary research contracts were divided mainly among McDonnell Douglas, Boeing, Northrop Gmmman, and Lockheed Martin, which subsequently formed teams that also involved other contractors, like Dassault (partnered with Boeing) and BAE (forming a threesome with McDonnell Douglas and Northrop Gmmman). The JSF program was purposely internationalized: a memorandum of understanding was signed by the US and British governments in December 1995, specifying a 90-10 split for co-funding the aircraft's demonstration phase, or, as it was officially known, the Weapons System Concept Demonstration (WSCD) phase.4 In November 1996 the Pentagon selected Lockheed Martin and Boeing as lead contractors; in October 2001 a long and fierce competition to carry out System Development and Demonstration (SDD) was won by the former. The Lockheed demonstrator X-35 turned into the F-35 Lightning II, which carried out its maiden flight in 2006; the two Boeing X-32 prototypes ended up in museums in Ohio and Maryland.The JSF was conceived from the beginning as a multi-role aircraft that would be capable of replacing four or five separate aircraft in use by the US military. To that end, the program gave birth to three different warplanes: the F-35A or the Conventional Take-Off Landing (CTOL) version, which is intended to replace the F-16 Fighting Falcon and A-10 Thunderbolt; the F-35B Short Take-Off and Vertical Landing (STOVL), replacing the AV-8B Harrier II; and the F-35C Carrier Version (CV), taking over from the F/A18 Hornet and possibly the Super Hornet. All three versions completed the critical design reviews and are now in the SDD phase. Low Rate Initial Production (LRIP) aircraft are rolling out from Lockheed Martin's assembly plant in Forth Worth, Texas, and the final Production, Sustainment, and Follow-on Development (PSFD) phase appears to be on the horizon. The US Marine Corps have established an operational squadron of F-35S at their Yuma, Arizona airbase, while instructor pilot training on the initial F-35S set to roll off the assembly line is progressing at a USAF base in Florida.5Globalized industrial partnerships propelled the JSF from the outset, but the multinational collaborative project took shape gradually. Most US allies were not briefed on the JSF until the beginning of the SDD phase, and it is unclear how the US government-specifically the nascent JSF office-decided which governments to engage.4 Canada joined in 1997, turning the US-UK collaboration into a multinational one. At that point, the JSF specified the conditions for different levels or tiers of partnership. Each level was mainly determined by the size of the partner's contribution. Level 1 partners contribute approximately 10 percent to the development of the aircraft. The UK is the only Level 1 partner and has committed $2.2 billion to the program. Level 2 partners, such as Italy and the Netherlands, contribute approximately $1 billion. Level 3 partners-Australia, Canada, Denmark, Norway, and Turkey-contribute $ioo-$2oo million. …

A Maintenance System to Support Air Operations / System Eksploatacyjny Wspomagania Operacji Lotniczej

Abstract A system to support maintenance, approached with respect to particular maintenance actions. The modelling of a smart system to support maintenance of multi-role aircraft. Diagnostic- properties determining accomplishment of an air operation. A standard maintenance cycle. A maintenance programme targeted at the multi-role aircraft fleet.

Models of Air Missions / Modele Misji Lotniczych

Abstract Combat missions of both a single multi-role aircraft and a group of aircraft. Compatibility and readiness - properties determining accomplishment of an air operation. Scenarios of air operations. Models of air-to-air and air-to-surface operations (AAO and ASO, respectively). Computer modelling of air missions.

A Probabilistic Model of an Air Combat Mission / Probabilistyczny Model Bojowej Misji Lotniczej

Abstract Combat missions of both a single multi-role aircraft and a group of aircraft. Scenarios of air operations. Probabilistic models of air-to-air and air-to-surface operations (AAO and ASO, respectively). Probability that air combat missions of the AA and AS types prove successful.

General aviation aircraft avionics: Integration & system tests

The avionics of current-day aircraft is termed as modular integrated full glass cockpit. Unlike lots of dials and gauges, the pilot will interact with Multi-Function Displays (MYD). This means that the systems are coupled with multi-function displays, communication and navigation radios with control units, multi-mode interactive instruments for control and navigation, recording and fault management systems, airframes and health monitoring diagnostic capabilities. Pilot Vehicle Interface (PVI) is an important measure of good avionics and cockpit layout, which implies the optimization of man-machine interface, enhancement of the economy, and safety of flight operations. This presents the avionics architecture of a 14-seat Light Transport Aircraft (LTA) for general aviation, which has multi-role commuter capabilities. LTA is a twin turbo-prop, multi-role aircraft, with air taxi and commuter services as its primary roles. The avionics is built on the digital communication mode for both command and control with current requirements of TCAS, digital Autopilot, and AMLCD multi-purpose glass displays. The LTA Avionics suite is grouped into six major groups based on functionality: Display System, Communication System, Navigation System, Recording System, Radar System, and Engine instruments and other cockpit displays. This paper also covers details about the extensive tests carried out to prove the avionics design in terms of functionality, inter-operability, interference, and compatibility. Various practical integration and flight-test issues, methodologies, and details of the scenarios is presented herein.

MRCA systems and related equipment

FOR many years, air forces and industry have sought to define and perfect a single weapons systems covering a wide range of operational requirements. The ‘general purpose’ aeroplane, as it used to be known, was actually evolved in a number of countries between the wars but, while suitable in peace‐time (when performance was not as important as economy), it proved to be no wartime match for specialist aircraft designed without compromise to fill just one role. ‘Multi‐Role’ thus became a somewhat discredited concept. During the 1960s, however, when NATO countries began to look for replacements for a number of aircraft types, consideration was still given to the possibility of one multirole aircraft being designed to fulfil, at reasonable cost, a number of, if not all, these various national requirements.

The multi-role combat aircraft (MRCA): a case study in European collaboration

The MRCA is being developed by a consortium of British, German and Italian industries. The respective governments supporting the project embarked on it with various economic, political and social objectives in mind. These objectives could only be resolved by a succession of compromises, some of which have proved to be to the detriment of the project. The participating aircraft industries set out to succeed where others had failed; to produce a variable-geometry multi-role aircraft at reasonable cost. The attraction of such an aircraft lies in the possibility of constructing a common structure which can be adapted, without too much extra expense, to carry out various strategic roles. But there are technological hazards to be overcome; the mechanism has to be unusually complicated, a high degree of innovation is demanded, and particular attention has to be paid to the problem of reliability. Considerable technical uncertainty surrounds the MRCA programme, especially with respect to the wing-joints. This uncertainty has been heightened by the unsatisfactory manner in which the development has been divided between the participating countries. The dispersion of engineering between Edinburgh and Turin leads to technological inefficiencies and to severe problems of communication. The Panavia organization was set up with the purpose of keeping the programme under close surveillance and control. Multi-national committees make the decisions. The organization is noted for its bureaucratic procedures and for its inflexibility; deviations from the pre-ordained plan cause considerable expense, delay and dislocation. The collaboration was expected to secure a large market for the aircraft. However, orders have fallen since the beginning of the programme, and further reductions are to be expected. As orders fall, the unit cost of the final product rises. It seems likely that the aircraft will be considerably more expensive than initially predicted. Many of the deficiencies of the MRCA project are evident in other joint programmes, military and civilian. It is concluded that collaboration is inherently an inefficient and uneconomic means of developing aircraft.