Aircraft Alternative Braking System for Reduced Cost of Sustainment

The military is looking for innovative technologies that will improve aircraft braking systems. Currently, the majority of the braking power during aircraft landing is supplied by the friction brakes. Many problems arise with the use of friction brakes, the first being the excessive wear on the brakes. The solution we propose involves improving the existing material used for friction braking along with incorporating a regenerative braking system. Regenerative braking systems have been successful for automobiles and trains which bracket the loads anticipated in aircraft. The system will consist mainly of a DC generator, electric energy storage in super-capacitor and batteries, sensors, electronic controls and software. In Phase I the system will be designed for an aircraft such as the P-8 or the F18 to be selected in collaboration with DLA. The design will be in sufficient details to provide a basis of its cost determination. The benefits of such system are numerous, some are unique to the proposed configuration. We will estimate the benefits to provide a cost benefit analysis that can be used by DLA to decide regarding proceeding with Phase II. In Phase II we will build the system and test it under realistic conditions.