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DESIGNING ADVANCED FIGHTER AIRCRAFT

Burt Dicht

Director,

University Programs

IEEE

b.dicht@ieee.org

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• Fighter Aircraft Requirements

• The Evolution of Stealth Technology

• The Advanced Tactical Fighter

• The Design Process

• The Future of Aerospace Design

• Opportunities for engineers in Aerospace

• Job Search Strategies

TODAY’S AGENDA

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MY BACKGROUND

NASA Intern

Facilities Design

Kennedy Space Center

Member of Technical Staff

Payload Integration

Rockwell STSD – Space Shuttle

Finance Director

Member of Congress

Lead Engineer

Configuration/Systems Integration

Northrop Grumman

Technical/Business Writer

Words & Ideas

Managing Director

Knowledge & Community

ASME

Director

University Programs

IEEE

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AIR SUPERIORITY FIGHTER REQUIREMENTS

All Aspect Stealth

Maneuverability

Aerodynamics

Range

Engine

Avionics Systems

Armament

Reliability & Maintainability

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THE EVOLUTION OF STEALTH AIRCRAFT

Romulan “Bird of Prey”

• Equipped with “Cloaking Device.”

• Made the craft invisible to

Federation sensors.

• From the earliest days,

deception and stealth have

been used to gain the

advantage over an enemy

in combat.

• The advent of RADAR in

the late 1930’s and during

WWII enabled the early

detection of aircraft in

flight.

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THE EVOLUTION OF STEALTH (cont)

NORTHROP YB-49 BOMBER

• Designed by Jack Northrop

in the late 1940’s.

• Role was as a strategic

bomber.

• Its unique wing shape

produced a low radar cross

section, although the goal

was improved performance.

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THE EVOLUTION OF STEALTH (cont)

DESIGN IN THE 50’S AND 60’S

• Little effort in the 50’s and 60’s.

Integrating low observable

aspects meant compromising

performance – so designers

concentrated on speed,

maneuverability, and weapons.

• A-12/SR-71 has rounded lines,

wing/body blending, conical

center bodies, fuselage chine

and canted twin fins to reduce

radar reflectivity.

Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird

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STEALTH CHARACTERISTICS

• Stealth does not mean “invisible,”

it means “low observable” and can

include:

•Aircraft shape

•Radar Absorbent Material (RAM)

•Minimized engine noise

•Reduced infrared signature

•Electronic countermeasures

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THE FIRST STEALTH AIRCRAFT

F-117A Nighthawk

• USAF and DARPA studies

initiated in 1973 – project

Have Blue

•Air Force invites proposals

to develop technology

prototype

•Lockheed and Northrop were

finalists and each built a

prototype for a “fly-off”

•Lockheed wins production

contract in 1976

Mission – covert reconnaissance

and covert surgical strikes

Subsonic – limited performance

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STEALTH MATURES

• 1980 report concluded that B-1 bomber would be

unable to penetrate Soviet air space beyond 1990

• Positive results from Have Blue (F-117) justified

launch of a full-scale low-observable bomber

program (Advanced Technology Bomber – ATB)

• Lockheed/Rockwell team and a Northrop/Boeing

team responded to requests for proposals

• Northrop relied on experience studying stealth

technology and its extensive experience with

flying wing designs and was awarded the contract

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STEALTH MATURES (cont)

NORTHROP – GRUMMAN

B-2 SPIRIT

• Length – 69ft

• Height – 17ft

• Wingspan – 172 ft

• Max Speed – Mach .85

• Range 6300 nm

• Armament – 40,000 lbs in

internal weapons bays

•Powerplant – four GE F-118-

GE-100 turbofans – 17,300 lbs

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DEVELOPING A TRULY STEALTH FIGHTER

WHY THE NEED?

• Late 1970’s – Soviets building far more fighters than US

• Massive Soviet surface to air missile threat

• USAF looking to technology to counter Soviet numerical

advantage

• In 1981 USAF issued a Request for Information (RFI) for the

Advanced Tactical Fighter (ATF)

• Supercruise (the ability to achieve supersonic flight without

afterburner) and stealth were considered essential components,

although stealth was still considered an exotic technology

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DEVELOPING A TRULY STEALTH FIGHTER

(cont) THE ADVANCED TACTICAL FIGHTER (ATF) PROGRAM

• Air Force opts to build a truly air-to-air fighter to follow the F-15

Eagle air superiority fighter - designed to enter service in mid 90’s

• In 1983 USAF issues Request for Proposals (RFP) for ATF and the

Joint Advanced Fighter Engine (JAFE) – GE and P & W

•Lockheed, Rockwell, Grumman, McDonnell Douglas, General

Dynamics, Boeing and Northrop vie for aircraft contract

• McDonnell Douglas and General Dynamics were thought to have

the inside track because of F-15 and F-16

• But stealth proved to be the deciding factor. Both Northrop and

Lockheed fell back on their stealth experience and proposed

stealthy fighters that could perform as well as non-stealthy fighters

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Most aerospace analysts thought General Dynamics and McDonnell Douglas

had the inside track to win the ATF contract because of the F-16 and F-15.

They were wrong! The designs they proposed were not innovative.

McDonnell Douglas

F-15 Eagle

General Dynamics F-16

Fighting Falcon

Lockheed F-117

Nighthawk

Northrop B-2 Spirit

Lockheed YF-22A Northrop YF-23A

Note: Company

names in 1986.

DEVELOPING A TRULY STEALTH FIGHTER (cont)

INNOVATION WAS THE KEY

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DEVELOPING A TRULY STEALTH FIGHTER

(cont)

THE ADVANCED TACTICAL FIGHTER (ATF) PROGRAM

• In October 1986 the USAF awards the contracts to

build prototype aircraft to Northrop and Lockheed

• Northrop teamed with McDonnell Douglas to build the

YF-23A

• Lockheed - Boeing - General Dynamics comprised the

other team to build the YF-22A.

• Aircraft first flights in the Fall of 1990.

• Lockheed Martin awarded contract in April 1991. More

than 180 F-22s are now in operation.

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JET FIGHTER GENERATIONS

Gen 1 – Earliest jet fighters: Germany’s Me 262, Britain’s Meteor, US F-80.

Hallmark was advance in speed over piston engine aircraft

Gen 2 – Korean War era: USAF F-86 and Soviet MiG-15. Designers maximized

performance by tailoring airframe to jet engine. (Use of swept wings is an

example)

Gen 3 – late 50s early 60s: USAF Century Series F-100, F-101, F-102,

F-104, F-105, F-106 and Soviet MiG-17 and MiG-21. Featured advanced missiles,

supersonic speed and sophisticated engines. F-4 Phantom was late Gen 3 fighter.

Gen 4 – mid 1970s: USAF F-15 and F-16 and Russian Su-27 and MiG-29. Highly

maneuverable, sophisticated weapons, engines and avionics.

Gen 5 – today: all aspect stealth, internal weapons, plug and play electronics and

super-cruise. USAF F-22 operational and F-35 in flight test. Chinese Chengdu J-

20 and Russian Su-T50 in development.

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YF-23A BLACK WIDOW II

• Two Prototypes were built

• PAV 1 - two Pratt & Whitney YF119 engines

• PAV 2 - two GE YF120 engines

•Wing Span 43.6 ft

•Length 67.4 ft

•Height 13.9 ft

•Wing area 900 sq. ft.

•Top Speed Mach 2+

•Range 800 Nm

•Altitude 65,000 ft

•Air Superiority

•Low Observable

•Super-cruise - mach

1+ without afterburner

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Northrop Chief Test Pilot Paul Metz comments on the YF-23A – YouTube Video:

http://youtu.be/nA718zigtzE

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NORTHROP GRUMMAN AN AIRFRAME

MANUFACTURER

• Responsible for the design,

manufacture and integration of aircraft

and aircraft sub-assemblies

Boeing (McDonnell Douglas/Northrop)

F/A-18F Super Hornet

F/A-18 Carrier

Takeoff

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AIRCRAFT DESIGN PROCESS

Customer Requirements

Mission • Range • Weapons • Weight • Fuel

• Lifecycle Cost

Conceptual Design Phase

General size and configuration of the

aircraft • aerodynamic studies • thrust loading •

wing loading • wing sweep • general body, wing and

tail configurations

Preliminary Design Phase

Best conceptual design is chosen for testing • inlet/engine/airframe

integration • major loads and stresses • weight • stability and control • internal arrangement

Detailed Design Phase

Configuration frozen • Detailed structural design • Detailed system design and installation • avionics, flight control and weapons

integration • Production drawings

Development Phase

Manufacturing, assembly and test

1 – 2

years

1 – 3

years

2 – 3

years

2 – 4

years

2 – 4+

years

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AIRCRAFT ENGINEERING

GROUPS

• Aerodynamics

• Advanced Design

• Armament

• Avionics (airborne electronics)

• Crew Station (cockpit)

• ECS (environmental control system)

• Electrical

• Flight Test

• Fuel Systems

• Hydraulic Systems

• Propulsion Integration (engines)

• Reliability and Maintainability

• Safety

• Structures

• Vehicle Management (flight control)

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CONFIGURATION/ SYSTEMS

INTEGRATION

• Responsible for overall internal and external systems arrangement

• Work with every design group and coordinate and integrate their designs into a single aircraft design

• Final Product:

Inboard Profile Drawing • Aperture Arrangement • Three Views • Zone Drawings

F-20A Tigershark

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EDWARDS AIR

FORCE BASE (1983)

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AIRCRAFT DESIGN IS A COMPROMISE

• It is the task of the aircraft design engineer

to balance the customer requirements with

the physical constraints, cost and time-

scale, in order to produce the most

effective aircraft possible.

• Aircraft Design Requires Teamwork

• No “one” design group is more important

than the others.

• Note: All Engineering involves

Compromises!

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LOOK WHAT HAPPENS WHEN DESIGN GROUPS HAVE THEIR WAY

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ENGINEERING FUNCTION

DESCRIPTIONS • Design - From Concept to Production

o Good understanding of engineering principles

o See things in 3-D (Geometry, Graphics, Kinematics)

o Like to solve problems, come up with better ways of doing things

• Analysis - Verify engineering designs (Stress, Thermal, Aerodynamics, Dynamics) o Engineering Theory and Mathematics

o Problem solving

• Test - Verify functionality of design o Basic understanding of engineering theory and design principles

o Lab work and strict guidelines and procedures

• Operations- Maintaining and operating final product o Basic understanding of engineering design and systems

o Understand how and why things work

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YF-23A BLACK

WIDOW II

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AN AEROSPACE CAREER

STS 26 Landing

Edwards Air Force Base (EAFB)

October 3, 1988

Northrop – Lockheed Open House - EAFB

November 1990

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AN AEROSPACE CAREER

Enterprise Arrives at JFK

April 2012

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LOCKHEED

MARTIN F-22A

RAPTOR

•Wing Span 44.5 ft

•Length 62 ft 1 in

•Wing area 830 sq. ft.

•Top Speed Mach 2+

•Range 800 Nm

•Altitude 65,000 ft

•Air Superiority

•Low Observable

•Two Pratt & Whitney

F119-PW-100 Turbofans

@ 35,000 lbs

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FIX FOR THE LITHIUM ION BATTERY PROBLEM

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CURRENT PROJECTS:

LOCKHEED MARTIN F-35 JOINT

STRIKE FIGHTER

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CURRENT PROJECTS BOEING 787 DREAMLINER

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Northrop Grumman X-47B Pegasus Unmanned Combat Air System Demonstrator (UCAS-D).

THE FUTURE: REMOTELY PILOTED VEHICLES

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THE FUTURE: SUBSONIC COMMERCIAL

BOEING 797 BLENDED WING PASSENGER JET

Boeing Icon-II

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Lockheed Green Supersonic

THE FUTURE: GREEN SUPERSONIC COMMERCIAL

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THE FUTURE: FIGHTER AIRCRAFT

Lockheed 6th Generation

Fighter Aircraft

Future Concepts: Hypersonic

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Lockheed Martin SR-72

THE FUTURE: HYPERSONIC

DARPA Hypersonic Technology Vehicle (HTV)

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Lockheed Martin

Orion

Boeing CST-100

Spacecraft

Space X Dragon

The Boeing CST and the Dragon will be used to ferry astronauts to low Earth orbit (LEO). The Orion is designed for deep-space, including missions to the moon, Mars and asteroids. All are designed to be reusable.

THE FUTURE: SPACECRAFT CONCEPTS

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The SPACE LAUNCH SYSTEM (SLS)

Initial Lift Capability - 150,000 lbs

More than Double any Operational Vehicle

Today

Propulsion

Two Solid Rocket Boosters, 1 J-2X engine for

the upper stage and 4 RS-25 engines (SSME)

on the core booster

Evolved Lift Capability - 280,000 lbs

More than Any Past, Present, or Future

Vehicle

Propulsion

Two Advanced Solid Rocket Boosters, 2 J-

2X engines for the upper stage and 4 RS-

25 engines (SSME) on the core booster

THE FUTURE: SPACE LAUNCH SYSTEM (SLS)

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Biconic Space Vehicle - Blue

Origin (Designed to

take astronauts to LEO)

Sierra Nevada Dream Chaser (Designed to

carry 7 astronauts to

LEO)

Virgin Galactic – Spaceship

Two (Designed for space

tourism on sub-orbital flights)

The Future of Space Technology:

Commercial Space Projects in

Development

XCOR Lynx Spaceship Two (Designed for space tourism on sub-orbital

flights)

THE FUTURE: COMMERCIAL SPACE PROJECTS

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BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS - JOB OUTLOOK

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Employment Change 2010 – 2020

• Aerospace engineers held about 81,000 jobs in 2010. • Aerospace engineers are expected to have 5 percent growth in employment over the projections decade, slower than average for all occupations.

• Mechanical engineers held about 243,200 jobs in 2010.

• Mechanical engineers are projected to have 9 percent employment growth over

the projections decade, slower than the average for all occupations.

• Electrical and electronics engineers held about 294,000 jobs in 2010.

• Electrical and electronics engineers are expected to have employment growth of

6 percent over the projections decade, slower than the average for all occupations.

• Computer hardware engineers held about 70,000 jobs in 2010.

• Computer hardware engineers are expected to have employment growth of 9%

over the projections decade, slower than the average for all occupations.

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STARTING SALARIES

• Average starting salary for Bachelor’s degree candidates

in aerospace engineering is $64,000 a year. (2013)

• Average starting salary for Bachelor’s degree candidates

in mechanical engineering is $62,800 a year. (2013)

• Average starting salary for Bachelor’s degree candidates

in electrical engineering is $62,200 a year (2013)

• Average starting salary for all entry level engineers is

$60,291per year (2013)

• Note: Salaries will vary depending on industry and

location

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REQUIRED COMPETENCIES FOR TODAY’S ENGINEERS

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Technical excellence

Communication skills

Creativity

Innovation

Critical thinking

Skill in interpersonal interactions

Multiple languages

Ability to define a vision

Attitude of seizing opportunities

A positive thinker and a decision maker

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JOB SEARCH STRATEGIES

• Know Yourself: What do you like to do? What kind of work do you

want to do? Where do you want to work?

• You need to STAND OUT in the crowd: What are your special

skills and talents? What are your significant achievements? How can

your skills help the company?

• Develop Your Brand: Develop your two-minute pitch. Use Targeted

Resumes and Cover Letters. Use social networking like LinkedIn,

Facebook, etc.

• Target Your Search: Conduct research on industries and

companies that interest you.

• Finding the Opportunities: Use multiple methods . . . Campus

Career Services, On-Campus Recruiting, Career Fairs, Online Job-

Boards, Company Websites, Professional Associations, Social

Networks and your Network

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Aerospace Web Sites

• Bureau of Labor Statistics

http://www.bls.gov/

http://www.bls.gov/ooh/home.htm

Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2012-13 Edition

• Aircraft Design Sites

http://www.aircraftdesign.com/other.html

• Aerospace Industries Association – sign up for AIA Update http://www.aia-aerospace.org/

• Aerospace Mall - A directory of many aerospace/aviation related

companies (From airframe to suppliers, from military to general

aviation)

http://www.aerospacemall.com/

• Internships

http://www.Tech-Interns.com

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Reading List

• Car Guys versus Bean Counters – by Bob Lutz

• 747: Creating the World’s First Jumbo Jet and Other

Adventures from My Life in Aviation – by Joe Sutter

• Flight: My Life in Mission Control – by Christopher Kraft

• Steve Jobs - by Walter Issacson

• A Fiery Peace in a Cold War: Bernard Schriever and the

Ultimate Weapon - by Neil Sheehan

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For More Information

Burt Dicht, Director

University Programs, IEEE

b.dicht@ieee.org

445 Hoes Lane

Piscataway, NJ 08854

732-981-3419

www.ieee.org/education