C-17 Arsenal Aircraft - Persistent Air Dominance with UAV/UCAVs

This R&D effort is to investigate computer airflow models and aerodynamic forces around a C-17 Arsenal Aircraft with UCAVs concept for Persistent Air Dominance using the commercial Tular launch and recovery system for package delivery. The national defense-related mission need is for Agile Combat Employment (ACE) and enhancing Air Mobility aircraft for alternate use cases. The primary objective is to determine the distance below the aircraft for laminar airflow with the cargo door open and Tular deployed at approximately 150 knots. Secondary objectives include computerized models, airflows and aerodynamic forces for Tular and its pin arrays. The primary outcome of this research is to inform follow-on R&D for subscale wind-tunnel verifications of results, and ultimately to inflight tests of full-scale systems and UCAVs. The Arsenal Aircraft concept enables enhanced combat capability with our asymmetric competitive advantage of global airlift and air refueling assets. As a dual use technology, Tular can be adapted for commercial cargo aircraft for package delivery directly to terrestrial distribution systems, bypassing airports in total. Tular is being adapted from our package delivery solution from moving ground vehicles. Target Arm intends to subcontract part of this work to Massachusetts Institute of Technology – Lincoln Labs.