Rapid Trade Study Toolset for Efficient Medium Scale Propulsion Applications

Evolution of the war-fighting environment combined with advancements in automonous technologies have increased interests in unmanned aircraft systems (UAS). Existing platforms currently operating this space are running up against growth limits while future platforms must address increased requirements to ensure mission success. To achieve the objectives for current and next generation platforms, efficiencies achieved through design processes are required that encompass the entire vehicle, necessitating complex analyses. In addition, including controls and dynamics in this analysis will be essential to achieving the design objectives, but further complicates the analysis space. To address these challenges, PC Krause and Associates, Inc. (PCKA) will develop a rapid trade and analysis tool for unmanned aircraft systems and efficient medium scale propulsion applications. The toolset will be comprised of an infrastructure that enables integrated system design and analysis, coupled with a drag and drop set of component/subsystem models available to users for integrated system construction. The component database is expected to include model abstractions ranging from entirely abstract constructs developed by the PCKA PARSE tool, to fixed layout but scalable designs developed in the PCKA UniSyS tool, through hardware validated models. The array of options will allow AFRL to explore a wide trade space to find solutions that meet the objectives. A proof-of-concept demonstration will be completed in the Phase I with full development to proceed in Phase II, wherein the toolset will be demonstrated on a relevant problem of interest and delivered to AFRL for use on current/future programs.