Virtual Flight Testing with DoD CREATE-AV Software

ABSTRACT: Clear Science Corp. proposes to develop and demonstrate software that accurately and efficiently simulates the full set of physics associated with aircraft flight operations through the integration of its physics-based reduced-order modeling (PBROM) technology into CREATE-AV Kestrel, the fixed-wing-aircraft component of the Department of Defense's (DoDs) CREATE Program. The Kestrel computational fluid dynamics (CFD) code will provide high-fidelity data for the construction of PBROMs that retain the accuracy of the parent model but enable analysis over the entire range of flight operations at a fraction of the computational overhead. Integration of the PBROM technology into Kestrel will provide the greater DoD engineering community access to tools that assist in the development of aerodynamic models for stability and control analyses and more general design and analysis of military aircraft. The proposed project will develop user test cases for Kestrel involving an F-16 fighter aircraft with articulating control surfaces and an open-source-fighter (OSF) version of the aircraft. The parent CFD models are representative of production and early-development fighter aircraft models with 36 and 4.5 million cells in the grids, respectively. Corresponding PBROMs will be used demonstrate virtual flight tests of the aircraft and stability and control analyses. BENEFIT: The proposed software fits into the framework of the ``Digital Thread" initiative at the Arnold Engineering Development Center (AEDC) with the objective of a 25% reduction in the development cycle time for air vehicles, achieved by streamlining research, development, test, and evaluation (RDT&E). Achieving the goal will leverage innovative modeling and simulation (M&S) tools that improve all stages of the development cycle with fast and comprehensive early-concept evaluation, identification of optimal, targeted ground tests, and streamlined flight testing from first flight to initial operational capability. The primary customers will be government personnel and government contractors who use the Kestrel. Applications include support of new aircraft development from conceptual design trade studies to flight testing and aircraft certification, along with support of modifications to existing, enabling new mission roles in the existing military fleet. The proposed software is designed to make the engineering development process more reliable and efficient through accurate and faster analyses at each stage. The technology provides a framework that efficiently integrates M&S and T&E.