Calspan Status Update

AG&C Committee, October 11-13, 2006

Williamsburg, VA

Lou Knotts/Eric Ohmit

Calspan Status Update

• Lear AAR Flight testing at Niagara Falls • Learjet Sense & Avoid Project• VISTA Status• OIW Sea Scout Instrumentation

Learjet AAR

• Third Flight Test:– Jul/Aug 2006

– At Niagara Falls with 107th ANG KC-135

• Very efficient operations

• Dedicated aircraft / crews / facilities

– AUTONOMOUS Station-Keeping

– Safety Pilot flew to various refueling positions, then engaged simulation

– AAR GPS-based Control Laws in Boeing Flight Control Computer - FCC

– FCC interfaced with Learjet VSS through sensors & commands to control elevator, aileron, rudder, throttle.

• Held relative Tanker-to-LJ engaged positions - VERY precise

• Straight & Level, 30º Banked Turns, & Racetrack patterns

• Light to Moderate Turbulence

– Gathered IR Camera data for “Hybrid” system

– Flew 20 Flights, 30 Flt-Hrs

Learjet AAR

Alternate Radome Modified forIR Camera

LJ in Contact Position

Learjet AAR

LJ in Contact Positionin Turn

Learjet AAR

LJ in Observation Position in Turn

Learjet AAR – Holding Contact Position in turn

Learjet AAR – Holding Observation Pos in turn

Learjet AAR

• Fourth Flight Test:

– Jul/Aug 2007

– Similar to 2006 tests, but in addition:

• Autonomous Trajectory Control

• Move from:– Observation Pre-Contact Contact

Breakaway positions.

– Gather more IR data for Hybrid system

In planning phase …

Learjet Sense & Avoid Flight Test

• UAV Sense & Avoid in National Air Space.

• Autonomously Detect and Avoid intruder aircraft

in terminal environment.

• Cooperative & Non-Cooperative Intruders

• Equivalent Level-of-Safety as piloted operations.

• Equivalent Level-of-Behavior as piloted operations.

COOPERATIVE• TCAS or Mode-C• Detectable• Coordinated

Collision Avoidance

NON-COOPERATIVE• Detect with Cameras

Learjet Sense & Avoid Flight Test

• AFRL – Sponsor• Northrop Grumman (NGC) – Prime contractor• Calspan – Installations and Flight Test in Learjet

– Simulate UAV (Global Hawk-like) dynamics• Defense Research Associates (DRA) – Camera system, detector, tracker• Bihrle – Provides avoidance software• FAA – Provides “Intruders”

– Convair-580 and King Air• Cooperative Intruder (TCAS-II Equipped)

– Utilizes Resolution Advisory (RA) commands• Non-Cooperative Intruder (No transponders, Uses only cameras)

– DRA supplies 3-Camera system - Detects & Tracks Intruder– NGC/Bihrle software determines trajectories and avoidance maneuvers

• Intrusion Scenarios:– Level head-on, cross-track, climb/descend head-on, overtaking

• Flying starts 23 October, 2nd session in December @ Niagara Falls

Learjet Sense & Avoid Flight Test

Modified LJ Radome with 3-Camera SAA

Installations

VISTA

• Completed 2006 flight test support for AFTPS – Support TPS (Handling Qualities, EO & A-A)

curriculum– TMP projects (BATDART)– AFRL Voice Recognition– Proprietary program

• Supported by Calspan personnel and test pilots on-site at EDW AFB

• Aircraft at Depot Hill AFB for Falcon-up til July ‘07

OIW Sea Scout UAV Instrumentation

• Sea Scout UAV program– Vehicle Developed by Oregon Iron Works (OIW)

– Phase 3 SBIR program for NAVAIR

• Utilized Calspan Developed Mini-Flight Data Recorder System (MFDRS) for instrumentation of the Sea Scout UAV– Support initial developmental testing

– Goal to get initial look at PID and engine characteristics prior to autonomous flight testing

• MFDRS is a small, self contained data recording system– Data stored on CompactFlash card, data reduction directly in

Matlab/Simulink

– Control surface positions (string pots, el, er, r, al, ar)

– Aircraft responses (p, q, r, Nx, Ny, Nz, Airspeed, Altitude, AOA, AOS)

– Engine parameters (Temps, diff. pressures, rpm, thrust)

– GPS parameters (lat, long, gnd spd, track, etc)

OIW Sea Scout UAV Instrumentation