Robust Electronics for Aircraft End Speed Indicator

Abstract: Naval aviation depends on catapults to enable aircraft to operate safely on aircraft carriers. An important subsystem of the aircraft launch is the Digital End Speed Indicator (DESI). The DESI uses reluctance sensors mounted towards the forward end of the steam catapult to determine the launch speed of aircraft. The current DESI system electronics aboard carriers is experiencing numerous failures due to the shock, vibration, and temperature extremes of the Steam Catapult Central Charging Panel space where the system resides. The Navy needs development of technology to enable electronics to operate in this environment without failure. Our proposed solution will result in capturing the catapult shuttle end speed using innovative indirect measurement techniques and state of the art processing and storing electronics. We will establish a requirements document and a trade study that will result in the simplest, most cost effective, and Aircraft End Speed Indicator (AESI) system that is free from the burden of degradation and erroneous data; analysis that addresses all of the significant issues including ease of retrofit into the available spaces; a summary report; and cost estimates.