Tech Focus

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December 2002

Bombardier completes ASTOR test

At top is an artist's rendition of the Bombardier Global Express mounted with the ASTOR surveillance system modified and equipped by Raytheon Systems and L-3 Communications. Below is the actual aircraft taking off.

Bombardier Aerospace has completed an extensive aerodynamic validation flight-test program for the UK Ministry of Defense's ASTOR (Airborne STand-Off Radar) system. The tests are expected to provide "invaluable data for the final design of the specially configured Bombardier Global Express aircraft," said James Aspell, Director, Program Management, Special Missions Aircraft, Bombardier Aerospace, Business Aircraft.

ASTOR is a highly sophisticated, long-range airborne ground surveillance system that will be installed aboard five Global Express aircraft. The aircraft are to be modified and equipped by Raytheon Systems Ltd., the prime contractor, and L-3 Communications Integrated Systems, a major subcontractor responsible for systems integration on the first aircraft. The complete ASTOR system includes the five aircraft equipped with dual-mode imaging and moving target indicator radar, SAR/MTI (synthetic aperture radar/moving target indication), and operator workstations, where the mission management and imagery can be exploited and then transmitted to ground stations by datalink. The system will operate in near real time to give battlefield commanders rapid access to information on developments in their target areas. The radar can operate in either high-resolution spot or wide-area swath modes. The processing equipment develops the data into visual images that can be exploited by the airborne mission crew.

In October, Raytheon took delivery of the first ground station vehicle for the ASTOR program. Manufactured by Automotive Technik, the 6x6 Pinzgauer 718K vehicle will act in the support role in one of the six ASTOR Tactical Ground Station units.

Automotive Technik is building a total of 20 Pinzgauers as part of the ground element for the ASTOR program.

As part of the aerodynamic flight-test program, the test aircraft was modified with various external shapes and other aerodynamic modifications representative of the production ASTOR aircraft. The modifications included a canoe-shaped radome under the forward fuselage to house the dual-mode antenna, a radome on the upper fuselage to house a military satcom antenna, a towed decoy fairing, and "bullet-fairing extension" on the vertical stabilizer, and delta fins under the aft fuselage.

The aircraft completed a total of 315 flight hours in 135 flights from Bombardier's Flight Test Center in Wichita, KS, over a 14-month period to assess how the aircraft performed aerodynamically and to determine the flight-envelope parameters. More than 1000 different test points related to the aircraft were evaluated during the test flights undertaken by Bombardier test pilots and continuously evaluated with the participation of Raytheon and Ministry of Defense test pilots.

Bombardier delivered the first of the five Global Express aircraft to L-3 Communications' facility in Greenville, TX, earlier this year. It is scheduled to enter service in 2005. The second aircraft to be integrated with Raytheon's ASTOR system is scheduled to be delivered next month. Bombardier's widebody Global family of business jets include the transcontinental Global 5000 and the ultra-long-range Global Express.

Supersonic UAV flight tests

Orbital will use its Stargazer L-1011 for an experimental supersonic flight test program. The aircraft has also been used to launch 25 out of the 31 missions completed by the Pegasus space launch vehicle (shown).

Orbital Science Corp. has been awarded a $21 million contract by Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd. to provide launch support services for an experimental supersonic flight-test program that is being sponsored by Japan's National Aerospace Laboratory. Orbital will use its Stargazer L-1011 to carry a small-scale, unmanned supersonic airplane to a preplanned altitude and location, where it will be released for an autonomous flight. The ground activities and flight tests will originate from Woomera Airfield in Australia, with the first flight of the jet-powered experimental airplane scheduled to take place in 2005.

The Stargazer L-1011 has served as an airborne launch platform for operational launch vehicles and onboard flight experiments for several different aerospace programs. It has been used to launch 25 out of the 31 missions completed by Orbital's Pegasus space launch vehicle. The aircraft was also modified to accommodate NASA's X-34 reusable launch vehicle and completed two captive carry flights of the experimental rocket plane. Orbital's primary products include low-orbit, geosynchronous and planetary spacecraft for communications, scientific, and remote-sensing missions; ground- and air-launched rockets that deliver satellites into orbit; and missile defense boosters that are used as target and interceptor vehicles.

Sikorsky passes certification test

Recent systems improvements and airframe enhancements to Sikorsky's S/H-92 include an extended main rotor shaft, a redesigned electrical system, and a structurally optimized tail pylon.

Aircraft No. 4 of the Sikorsky S/H-92 program performed two "flawless" autorotational landings at the company's Flight Development Center in West Palm Beach, FL, on its way to FAA certification. With Sikorsky Flight Operations Director John Dixson and S/H-92 Chief Pilot Bob Spaulding at the controls, the full power of the landings were performed at slightly above the maximum gross weight of 26,150 lb. Full type certification is expected this month, with first production deliveries in early 2004, according to Nick Lappos, S/H-92 Program Manager.

Since the first flight in December 1998, the program has completed more than 1340 test flight hours. The three current test aircraft have gathered nearly all the Type Inspection Authorization (TIA) data, validating the performance of the entire aircraft including components, systems, avionics, flight controls, airframe, powerplant, and handling characteristics. Once the data passes FAA review, the agency can issue the TIA and assign pilots to begin certification flight testing. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Inc., has begun building cabin sections and long lead-time components have been ordered for the first two production lots, covering aircraft scheduled for delivery through 2005.

The aircraft has undergone several recent systems improvements and airframe enhancements retrofitted onto test aircraft. It now has a new, extended main rotor shaft and new main rotor servos, with the payload of a well-equipped S/H-92 now more than 11,000 lb. The electrical system was redesigned to maintain rotor ice protection after a generator failure. The redesign will also allow the addition of an array of future options. A structurally optimized production tail pylon was added that establishes the final production configuration. The new structure is lighter than the development tails flown previously. In response to customer requests for additional cabin space and a larger main door, other upgrades include a 16-in cabin extension, lowered tail rotor pylon, and relocated horizontal stabilizer.

The Rockwell Collins Avionics Management System in the S/H-92 provides the display and integrated management of primary flight data.

The aircraft's Rockwell Collins cockpit features the Avionics Management System (AMS), a highly integrated avionics package that provides the display and integrated management of primary flight data and presentation and management of navigation information. The system also provides flight management data, a digital map, weather radar, terrain information, and engine instrument caution and advisory system processing and display. At the center of the AMS are four portrait 6- x 8-in high-resolution color active liquid crystal multi-function displays, with a fifth display offered as an option. The displays are compatible with night-vision goggle operations.

The H-92 and S-92 civil variant evolved out of the S-70 Black Hawk and Seahawk aircraft. Available in a 19-passenger commercial, a 22-troop utility, and a variety of mission-specific configurations, the design offers a stand-up cabin, rapid convertibility, and a full cabin-width rear ramp. Features include a glass cockpit, four-axis autopilot, and active vibration controls.

According to Sikorsky, the S/H-92 is the first helicopter designed to the harmonized FAR/JAR Part 29 requirements. Its fuel system and dynamic components are designed to meet the UH-60 Black Hawk ballistic tolerance requirements and all gearboxes are capable of running 30 min after loss of oil. According to Lappos, unique attributes such as structural flaw tolerance, bird strike protection, and turbine burst protection "put the S/H-92 a generation ahead of other medium helicopters." Cougar Helicopter, an offshore oil operator based in eastern Canada, has reserved the first production S-92 helicopters.

Dassault tests high-speed satcom

Dassault recently introduced high-speed Internet access to the sky with the flight test of the Teledyne Controls HSD-128 on board the Falcon 900EX demonstrator.

Dassault Falcon successfully flight tested airborne high-speed Internet access in its Falcon 900EX demonstrator equipped with the Teledyne Controls/EMS Technologies HSD-128. The four-hour flight originated from Dassault's Completion Facility in Little Rock, AR.

The equipment installed on the aircraft consisted of the HSD-128 single-box, high-speed data solution (8 MCU package) integrated with EMS' AMT-50 high-gain antenna system. This configuration provides users with high-speed data capability with only small space and weight penalties, according to the company, with the HSD satcom providing global digital geo-stationary satellite communications with 25 times the speed and efficiency per channel of previous airborne satcom systems.

The HSD-128 is the first available stand-alone satcom featuring two independent channels capable of uncompressed 64 Kbps symmetric bandwidth over the Inmarsat Swift64 Service. The two-channel configuration also provides the flexibility of channel bonding to achieve a single Kbps connection. Existing satcom systems offer 2.4 Kbps voice connections, which can create a "tin-can" sounding effect during in-flight phone calls. The voice options available using the system include 64 Kbps (full-ISDN voice) and 4.8 Kbps (low-speed voice). Each of the options was tested and proved to deliver "significantly" clearer calls, comparable to the quality of land-based communications, claims Dassault.