Page 6 - Aerotech News and Review Dec. 16 2016

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The successful A-10 mission was
the last of six in-flight refueling dem- onstrations required before the tanker program can request approval from Frank Kendall, the under secretary of defense for acquisition, technology and logistics, to award production Lots 1 and 2, totaling 19 KC-46A aircraft.
“It is great to see the KC-46 boom back in action and the program moving forward to a production decision” said Col. John Newberry, the KC-46 system program manager.
The other five required air refueling demonstrations were with the C-17 Globemaster III and F-16 Fighting Fal- con using the air refueling boom, the Navy’s F-18 Hornet and AV-8B Harrier II using the centerline and wing drogue systems, and the KC-46 as a receiver aircraft.
KC-135 Stratotanker
By Jan. 1, 2017, the European Union is requiring all existing aircraft to have Traffic Collision Avoidance System version 7.1 installed on aircraft entering its airspace. TCAS monitors the airspace around a plane for other aircraft independent of air traffic con- trol and warns pilots of the presence of other transponder-equipped aircraft, which may pose a midair collision situ- ation.
TCAS is generally required on all aircraft larger than 12,500 pounds and/ or on planes that carry more than 19 passengers.
The system is installed to prevent close calls and midair collisions by notifying pilots of approaching aircraft with attention signals and commands, both audio and visual. Pilots are noti- fied with TAs and RAs – traffic adviso- ries and resolution advisories. TAs are for situational awareness and RAs are instructions to the pilot on what ma- neuver to make.
About 30 testers led by the 418th Flight Test Squadron are working to test the upgraded TCAS 7.1 for the Air Force’s KC-135 Stratotanker fleet, which current uses TCAS 7.0 software.
Australian KC-30A
The first air-to-air refueling from a Royal Australian Air Force KC-30A Multi Role Tanker Transport to a C- 17A Globemaster III occurred Feb. 10.
The five-hour sortie was conducted by members of the RAAF’s Air War- fare Centre Aircraft Research and De- velopment Unit, 86 Wing and the 418th Flight Test Squadron. During the sortie approximately seven tons of fuel was successfully transferred from the KC- 30A Advanced Refueling Boom Sys- tem to the Edwards C-17.
Air-to-air refueling of a C-17 sig- nificantly increases the aircraft’s range, making it capable of carrying heavy payloads further.
The tests with the C-17A are one part of the RAAF’s Air Warfare Cen- tre’s Flight Test Program. The next steps are air to air refueling trials with the U.S. Air Force’s F-15 and F-16 fighters.
C-17 Globemaster III
Starting in March and continuing through the year, the 418th Flight Test Squadron conducted testing for the C-17 Drag Reduction Program.
data on how airflow is affected (and thus fuel consumption) with differ- ent modifications done to a C-17. The modifications were scheduled for dif- ferent phases using Vortex Control Technologies Finlets TM and Lock- heed Martin microvanes and fairings. The ultimate goal is to see which, if any, modification reduces drag and thus, reduce fuel consumption.
F-15 Eagle
Following extensive testing at Ed- wards, the Air Force fleet of F-15s will receive a wheel and brake upgrade.
The Air Force F-15 fleet of more than 500 aircraft benefit from F-15 Wheels and Brakes System Improve- ment program by saving $194 million in F-15 maintenance costs by increas- ing number of landings to 1,400 be- tween brake changes, reducing chance of brake fires and improving the brak- ing capability of the F-15 C/D and E aircraft.
Since Edwards does not have any F- 15s, all parts and maintenance support had to come from organizations with F- 15s. The project received support from the NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center.
Canadian CC-130J Hercules
In June, for the first time ever, a Royal Canadian Air Force plane has entered the Benefield Anechoic Facil- ity.
A team of engineers, operators and defense scientists from Canada, are wrapping up electronic warfare testing of an RCAF CC-130J Hercules trans- port plane.
Canada is updating its fleet of legacy CC-130H aircraft with the J model, which are the same as the U.S. Air Force C-130Js and used for tactical airlift of troops and supplies.
The team has conducted multiple
KC-10 fills up B-2, F-16s, JSF
tests in the past couple of weeks fo- cusing on the ALR-56M radar warning receiver and its integration with the rest of the Defensive Electronic Warfare Suite and aircraft mission computer.
“The BAF is the closest thing to ac- tually flying the aircraft in an RF threat environment. The chamber allows us to execute multiple test objectives in a controlled-repeatable manner and col- lect data to evaluate the radar warning receiver’s technical performance and effectiveness.” said Emil Poliakov, Canada Department of National De- fense, radar warfare engineer.
The isolation from outside interfer- ences enables testers to determine the
electromagnetic compatibility of the CC-130Js systems.
B-1B Lancer
The B-1B Lancer came home to test in the Benefield Anechoic Facility.
Engineers and maintainers from Edwards teamed up with testers from around the Air Force to examine the B-1Bs ALQ-161 threat protection sys- tem with the goal of improving it to enhance the bomber’s survivability. The ALQ-161 is a receiver/transmitter that detects and identifies threat radio frequencies then applies the appropri- ate jamming technique to protect the B-1 while on missions.
Air Force photograph by Christian Turner
“The ALQ-161 receives all of the radio frequency energy when it’s fly- ing and will process it and determine if it’s a threat, and then it can set up automatic jamming to jam that RF en- ergy from a missile, aircraft or ground missile,” said Rodney Brooks, 579th Software Maintenance Squadron, out of Robins Air Force Base, Georgia. “The 161 system has been on the B-1B since it was built and we’ve done a lot of improvements in the last 10 years. We’re looking to make some more improvements in the future and we need to collect data from the anten-
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The program involved collecting
Global Vigilance Combined Test Force members prepare a Global Hawk remotely piloted vehicle to perform icing test flights. The aircraft was fitted with a 3-D printed nylon structure to duplicate the weight and drag of ice forming on wings and tail.
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Global Hawk icing test
Air Force photograph by Chris Higgins