Professional Engineering Services (PES)
through GSA

Strategic Planning for
Technology Programs/Activities

For more than 30 years, we have supported the planning and execution of USAF/AEDC facility technology efforts. These projects have kept AEDC in the forefront of ground environmental testing in the areas of propulsion, aerodynamic, and space systems. Through comprehensive facility technology planning, in partnership with the AEDC USAF staff, the changing and technically challenging aerospace testing needs of the DoD, NASA and industry continue to be met. These facility technology efforts have included both analytical and hardware projects that focus on the future test and development needs of emerging propulsion and aerospace systems. Through these efforts, we have been able to anticipate many aerospace technical advances and their associated testing needs. Examples of areas in which these projects have succeeded include airframe/propulsion integration, airbreathing and rocket propulsion, aircraft/store integration, transonic aerodynamic testing, re-entry vehicle testing, Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), and advanced flow diagnostic techniques. Many of these efforts have successfully transitioned to facility Improvement and Modernization (I&M) projects and to Military Construction Projects (MCP). Some examples of these technology planning efforts and activities, and their subsequent results and benefits are summarized as follows:

• Aircraft/Propulsion Integration Testing – The very complex flow fields that exist at the interface of aerospace structures and propulsion systems make it very difficult to characterize the environment in separate aerodynamic (wind tunnel) and propulsion test facilities. In the 1970s, we supported technology planning efforts, special studies and analysis, evaluations of national aerospace program goals and objectives, and preliminary conceptual design studies of facility concepts. The goals of these technology planning efforts were to assess the projected needs and to develop potential options for meeting these needs.


Results and Benefits – These efforts resulted in the development and approval of a major Military Construction Program (MCP) at AEDC for the Aerospace System Test Facility. We supported the planning for ASTF, the subsequent design efforts, construction, assembly, checkout, and follow-on operation and maintenance. This facility became a national asset for the test of large-scale airframe/propulsion system designs and has subsequently contributed to the cost-effective design and development of major DoD aircraft systems such as F-22, and F-117.


• Re-entry Vehicle Testing – The very high Mach numbers and high energy and enthalpy environments that characterize earth and other planetary entries create extremely difficult technical challenges to those with responsibility for the design and testing of space and re-entry vehicles. For more than 30 years, we have supported the USAF in planning and executing facility technology efforts that have focused on developing techniques for simulating these harsh environments in ground test facilities. These technology projects have included analytical efforts, prototype facility projects, and Improvement and Modernization projects.


Results and Benefits – Through our efforts and technical support, several advances have been made in our ability to understand the re-entry environment and to more accurately simulate and test re-entry vehicle design concepts and advanced materials. For example, our understanding has been enhanced through the application of Computational Fluid Dynamics, which provide us with the capability to model the complex reacting, high Mach number flows that characterize planetary re-entry. We have also supported the development of an Arc Heater test facility concept that provides the capability to simulate the high energy re-entry environment for the evaluation of ablative and other advanced materials.


• Aircraft/Store Integration Testing – Early efforts to integrate stores on existing aircraft designs, sometimes resulted in major incompatibilities. Examples of the problems that resulted included aircraft store collisions at separation, unacceptable penalties in performance and stability and control, and decreased aircraft flutter margins. Several of these problems were experienced in Vietnam, with the rush to get newly developed weapons to the combat zone. The need existed to investigate these problems during aircraft and store design.


Results and Benefits – Our engineers supported technology efforts to develop test techniques and test facility concepts to address these compatibility issues. Technology analytical efforts and prototype facility projects led to the design, installation, and subsequent operation of Captive Trajectory Systems in the four foot and sixteen foot aerodynamic wind tunnels at AEDC. These capabilities are now routinely used to support both aircraft and store design efforts.

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