Autonomous Airborne Refueling Demonstration, Phase I Flight-Test Results

Dibley, Ryan P. and Allen, Michael J. and Nabaa, Dr. Nassib (2007) Autonomous Airborne Refueling Demonstration, Phase I Flight-Test Results. Technical Report NASA/TM-2007-214632, Research and Engineering, NASA Dryden Flight Research Center.

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Abstract

The first phase of the Autonomous Airborne Refueling Demonstration (AARD) project was completed on August 30, 2006. The goal of this 15-month effort was to develop and flight-test a system to demonstrate an autonomous refueling engagement using the Navy style hose-and-drogue air-to-air refueling method. The prime contractor for this Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) sponsored program was Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC), Sparks, Nevada. The responsible flight-test organization was the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center (DFRC), Edwards, California, which also provided the F/A-18 receiver airplane (McDonnell Douglas, now The Boeing Company, Chicago, Illinois). The B-707-300 tanker airplane (The Boeing Company) was contracted through Omega Aerial Refueling Services, Inc., Alexandria, Virginia, and the optical tracking system was contracted through OCTEC Ltd., Bracknell, Berkshire, United Kingdom. Nine research flights were flown, testing the functionality and performance of the system in a stepwise manner, culminating in the plug attempts on the final flight. Relative position keeping was found to be very stable and accurate. The receiver aircraft was capable of following the tanker aircraft through turns while maintaining its relative position. During the last flight, six capture attempts were made, two of which were successful. The four misses demonstrated excellent characteristics, the receiver retreating from the drogue in a controlled, safe, and predictable manner that precluded contact between the drogue and the receiver aircraft. The position of the receiver aircraft when engaged and in position for refueling was found to be 5.5 to 8.5 ft low of the ideal position. The controller inputs to the F/A-18 were found to be extremely small.

EPrint Type:	NASA Technical Memorandum
Keywords:	AARD, Autonomous, B-707-300 airplane, Control, F/A-18 airplane, Refueling, Tanker
Subjects:	Aircraft/Project: F-18 AAR (01 - 09) Aeronautics: (05) Aircraft Design, Testing And Performance
ID Code:	1823
Deposited On:	01 Febuary 2008
Additional Information:	31 pages. Also presented as AIAA-2007-6639 and a viewgraph at the AIAA Atmospheric Flight Mechanics Conference and Exhibit, Hilton Head, South Carolina, August 20-23, 2007. Dibley and Allen, NASA Dryden Flight Research Center; Nabaa, Sierra Nevada Corporation, Sparks, Nevada.