Live Test Air Vehicle Development

Cornerstone Research Group Inc. (CRG) proposes to develop a live test air vehicle for a Navy application through the PDR milestone during this Phase II SBIR project. Successful completion of PDR has the potential to directly transition into a Phase III program through the Navy which includes phases covering the CDR milestone through Operational Test and Product Readiness Review (PRR), positioning the Navy to acquire the vehicle needed to meet requirements.  CRG will leverage work performed for the DARPA Flying Missile Rail (FMR) program (during previous SBIR Phase I and Phase II projects). CRG’s FMR configuration included a subsonic carrier vehicle capable of launching an AIM-120, which has much in common with the configuration needed for the Navy live test air vehicle. CRG also established a concept for achieving high-rate manufacturing for the FMR vehicle, which included unique structural materials and manufacturing processes, design features for determinant assembly, a digital CAD model for the assembly steps, and a supply chain strategy based on vendor assessments and component lead time planning. The manufacturing concept for the FMR will be drawn on during the live test air vehicle development in effort to reduce cost and schedule associated with future programs.