DARPA has launched in August its research program for Active flow control airframe demonstrator called CRANE (Control of Revolutionary Aircraft with Novel Effecters) :
Aurora Flight Sciences Corp., Manassas, Virginia, has been awarded a $7,115,128 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for the Control of Revolutionary Aircraft with Novel Effectors (CRANE) program. Work will be performed in Manassas, Virginia (50%); Tucson, Arizona (26%); St. Louis, Missouri (15%); and Los Angeles, California (9%), with an estimated completion date of June 2021. Fiscal 2020 research and development funds in the amount of $7,109,177 are being obligated at the time of award. This contract is a competitive acquisition in accordance with the original broad agency announcement HR0011-19-S-0072. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, Arlington, Virginia, is the contracting activity (HR0011-20-C-0119).
subsidiary, Lockheed Martin and Georgia Tech Research Corp. have received separate contracts from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency to explore active flow control approaches for X-plane development.
Aurora Flight Sciences to Develop New X-Plane Under DARPA Contract
NOVEMBER 12, 2020
Active Flow Control in early stage aircraft design will enable revolutionary capabilities
MANASSAS, Va., Nov. 12, 2020 — Aurora Flight Sciences, a Boeing Company, aims to develop an experimental plane under a new Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) contract. The X-plane seeks to demonstrate the advanced capabilities of Active Flow Control (AFC) as a primary design consideration.
Through DARPA’s Control of Revolutionary Aircraft with Novel Effectors (CRANE) program, Aurora is under contract for Phase 0 in partnership with Boeing and the University of Arizona. The team will develop tools and technology for incorporating AFC in the early stages of aircraft design to later demonstrate in a custom X-plane.
During Phase 0, Aurora will study AFC-enabled designs across multiple mission domains for one year to identify an X-plane demonstrator concept. Phase 1 will follow with preliminary design of an X-plane demonstrator.
“This team builds upon decades of AFC research and prototyping, including flight tests of full-scale implementations,” said Per Beith, Aurora President and CEO. “Together with DARPA, we can enable fundamentally new approaches to aircraft design and look forward to exploring game-changing configurations.”
About Aurora Flight Sciences
Aurora Flight Sciences, a Boeing Company, specializes in creating advanced aircraft through the development of versatile and intuitive autonomous systems, in addition to advanced composite manufacturing. Operating at the intersection of technology and robotic aviation, Aurora leverages the power of autonomy to make manned and unmanned flight safer and more efficient. For more information, visit www.aurora.aero.
Advances in supercomputing technology during the past 20 years are one of multiple reasons that the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is confident...
One thing the NATO AVT-239 study on AFC brought up was that pushing (hot) bleed air
through the interior of the aircraft and out to apertures is going to have thermal implications.
You may end up trading reduced control surface deflection (and hence RCS) for worse IR signature.
@marauder2048 : I am not sure that blowing air is still used on external surface here.
Effectors should be seen here as electronic device that accelerate pre-charged (or not) air through magnetic field or locally grow the thickness of the boundary layers through heat transfer and dynamic actuation.
IMOHO nobody will blow air for cruise ctrl like it was experimented earlier. Exhaust gases on the training edge, yes, as that won't affect the IR signature otherwise than on a positive note (increased dilution).
Officials of the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) in Arlington, Va., announced a $12.4 million order to Aurora late last month to move to phase-one of the Control of Revolutionary Aircraft with Novel Effectors (CRANE) project.
In this phase Aurora Flight Sciences electric aircraft experts will validate analytical predictions, carry out control loop analyses, and perform modeling verification. The company won a $7.1 million DARPA CRANE contract in June 2020 to craft configuration-agnostic designs, conduct geometric and technology trade studies, and produce process documentation.
This is not aimed at electric aircraft as the article reports, they must have gotten confused. The fluidic actuators have rather large massflow/power requirements, which is pretty taxing for electric aircraft.
Link text modified. They are focused on electrics for aviation with a high power range (follow their link). Effectors can use high voltage current. They are not all simply fluidic. Magnetodynamics needs high voltage current.
That looks like a photo of a MINION or related wind tunnel model. Just the PR hacks using a old photo for illustration purposes or is it actually being used as part of the current project? (I don't think MINION itself has been a active project recently, though I could be wrong.)
Never mind, realised where the photo actually originated. Tea infusion, stat!
Aurora Flight Sciences and Lockheed Martin Corporation are now entering Phase 1, which includes system requirements development, initial design work, software development, and initial airworthiness activities that culminate in a preliminary design review.
Alexander Walan, program manager for CRANE in DARPA’s Tactical Technology Office said, “The Phase 1 researchers have completed conceptual designs of novel flight demonstration configurations with quantifiable performance benefits enabled by active flow control.
“Multiple AFC technologies will continue to be matured through advanced analytical and testing activities for incorporation in relevant demonstrator designs.”
The U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) awarded the contract to BAE Systems to design a full scale demonstrator concept with Active Flow Control at its core. The aircraft’s ability to maneuver in flight without conventional flight control surfaces will enable improved performance, maintainability, and survivability.
The contract award forms part of DARPA’s Control of Revolutionary Aircraft with Novel Effectors (CRANE) project, which intends to inject Active Flow Control technology early into the aircraft design process to demonstrate significant efficiency benefits, as well as improvements to aircraft cost, weight, performance, and reliability.
BAE Systems will progress the design and testing of revolutionary flow control technologies that could deliver significant operational enhancements to tomorrow’s warfighters.
BAE Systems’ role in DARPA’s CRANE program builds upon its demonstrator aircraft that was the first in aviation history to maneuver in flight using only active flow control technologies.
Coming from the research group, my perspective is that defense will see the first applications of AFC for flight control, probably within the next five to ten years. Our assessments showed that an AFC-based flight control system will be smaller and lighter than conventional flight control systems. There are also specific benefits for the military, which include reducing the observability of air vehicles while enhancing their survivability and maneuverability.
I believe the first commercial applications for AFC will come soon after, as people realize that the safety and efficiency of aircraft can be significantly improved using this technology. These types of effectors can help reduce fuel consumption, and they work better in stalled conditions. This helps to improve flight stability compared with traditional-style control effectors.
David Williams, professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at Illinois Institute of Technology discusses the potential of Active Flow Control's use in air vehicles
Coming from the research group, my perspective is that defense will see the first applications of AFC for flight control, probably within the next five to ten years. Our assessments showed that an AFC-based flight control system will be smaller and lighter than conventional flight control systems. There are also specific benefits for the military, which include reducing the observability of air vehicles while enhancing their survivability and maneuverability.
I believe the first commercial applications for AFC will come soon after, as people realize that the safety and efficiency of aircraft can be significantly improved using this technology. These types of effectors can help reduce fuel consumption, and they work better in stalled conditions. This helps to improve flight stability compared with traditional-style control effectors.
David Williams, professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at Illinois Institute of Technology discusses the potential of Active Flow Control's use in air vehicles
Wind Tunnel Testing Advances Development of Aurora’s Active Flow Control X-Plane
MAY 11, 2022
Aurora Flight Sciences, a Boeing Company, recently conducted wind tunnel testing of its X-plane candidate for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)’s Control of Revolutionary Aircraft with Novel Effectors (CRANE) program. The data collected provides a rigorous foundation for developing flight control laws using active flow control (AFC) as a primary control effector.
Wind tunnel testing was conducted as part of phase 1 of DARPA’s CRANE program, which includes system requirements development, initial design work, software development, and initial airworthiness activities. The CRANE program, overall, aims to design, build, and flight test a novel X-plane that demonstrates quantifiable benefits of designing with active flow control.
“Aurora’s work on CRANE continues our history of proving ground-breaking technologies from concept to flight test,” said Per Beith, President and CEO of Aurora Flight Sciences. “Through the DARPA CRANE program, Aurora is advancing AFC technology for application to next generation aircraft.”
Aurora is designing an X-Plane that uses AFC for multiple effects, including flight control at tactical speeds and performance enhancement across the flight envelope. This work is widely applicable, across tactical and non-tactical aircraft, and aims to provide the confidence needed for future aircraft requirements to include AFC-enabled capabilities.
“Leveraging Boeing’s targeted investments in active flow control, our advancements on the CRANE program aim to further validate the technology’s potential benefits to improve efficiency and performance for both commercial and military aircraft,” said Laurette Lahey, Senior Director, Boeing Research and Technology, Flight & Vehicle Technology.
Using a 25% scale model, Aurora conducted tests over four weeks at a wind tunnel facility in San Diego, California. In addition to 11 movable conventional control surfaces, the model featured 14 AFC banks with eight fully independent controllable AFC air supply channels. Over 14,000 data points were collected, including 8,860 AFC control power points, forming the foundation for a flight-quality aerodynamic database to enable rapid execution in future program phases.
The test team consisted of Aurora and Boeing engineers with expertise in aerodynamics, conceptual design engineering, and test & evaluation. Test data has since been incorporated into vehicle models to characterize active flight control performance across the operational envelope and continue progressing design development.
Wind tunnel testing marks key milestone for revolutionary flight control programme
14 Jul 2022
Engineers from BAE Systems have successfully tested revolutionary flap-free flight technology to identify how it could enhance military capabilities as part of a US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) funded project.
A 3D printed titanium model was put through its paces to physically test its aerodynamic characteristics in BAE Systems’ world-class wind tunnel facilities, which can blow air up to speeds of Mach 3.8 – that’s nearly 3,000 miles per hour.
The completion of high-speed wind tunnel testing marks a crucial milestone in understanding the potential cost, weight and performance benefits that revolutionary flow control technologies could provide.The digitally designed, full-scale, active flow control effector model, developed by BAE Systems engineers to push the design to the limit, is helping to determine how the technology can supplement or even replace conventional moveable surfaces to improve the performance of an aircraft.
"Our role on DARPA’s CRANE project has given us the opportunity to push technical boundaries to the edge of what’s possible. Our engineers have used new digital modelling prediction software and applied their experience in active flow control technologies, to complete significant testing at our wind tunnel facilities. This exciting milestone brings us closer to understanding how these flow control technologies could deliver operational enhancements for pilots and how digital engineering can reduce the time and cost of evaluating concepts and designs". Tom Fillingham, Senior Vice President – US Programmes, BAE Systems Air Sector
BAE Systems engineers used the US Army’s Engineer Research and Development Center supercomputer to test predictions in aerodynamic behaviour, generated by advanced Computer Fluid Dynamics software developed in-house. The wind tunnel testing has validated Terabytes of data, helping to mature significant aerodynamics research in Computer Fluid Dynamics.
Senior representatives from DARPA, the US Air Force, Air Force Research Laboratory, Naval Air Systems Command and the Royal Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office visited BAE Systems’ facilities in Lancashire during the trials to learn more about its decades of experience in X-plane (experimental planes) development, advanced manufacturing and robotics and digital engineering credentials. The RAF RCO has partnered with DARPA as a co-funder of BAE Systems’ work in support of the DARPA CRANE programme.
The high speed wind tunnel test forms part of the contract BAE Systems was awarded in 2021 to mature the design, integration and de-risking of CRANE to inform future phases of the programme.
BAE Systems is committed to accelerating technology developments through increased investment in research and exploring innovative partnerships that can drive pace, affordability and increased flexibility to deliver the critical capabilities that customers need in the changing operating environment.
Engineers from BAE Systems have successfully tested revolutionary flap-free flight technology to identify how it could enhance military capabilities as part of a US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) funded project.
There was a jet drone that looked a bit like this, but had an intake just beneath the leading edge of its nose…looked a bit like the phantom cruiser…maybe UK.
“…Moving into phase 2 of the program, Aurora has begun the detailed engineering design of its full-scale, 30 ft wingspan, 7000 lbs gross weight, uncrewed X-plane. In phase 3, Aurora would build the X-plane at its facilities in Virginia, West Virginia, and Mississippi. The vehicle would be used for AFC validation and demonstration at relevant scale and flight conditions, including flight speeds up to Mach 0.7. Flight testing is targeted for 2025.”
Beyond looking 'super-cool', 'Straight Outa Sci-Fi', is it my imagination or does the considerable extent of 'fluidic' control surfaces suggest this generation still has rather less 'control authority' than trad flaperons etc etc ??
Beyond looking 'super-cool', 'Straight Outa Sci-Fi', is it my imagination or does the considerable extent of 'fluidic' control surfaces suggest this generation still has rather less 'control authority' than trad flaperons etc etc ??
Beyond looking 'super-cool', 'Straight Outa Sci-Fi', is it my imagination or does the considerable extent of 'fluidic' control surfaces suggest this generation still has rather less 'control authority' than trad flaperons etc etc ??
Basically, you can depend upon small surfaces with massive, high-speed "blowing" or larger surfaces with gentler "blowing." Gentle blowing is a lower risk from an engineering perspective. Well designed fluidic control surfaces would have to equal conventional hinged control surfaces to pass current certification requirements.
Fluidic controls benefit from fewer moving parts and reduced radar signature.
Fluidic controls are not new. Look at the blown landing flaps installed on Lockheed CF-104 Starfighter and Blackburn Buccaneer dating back to the 1960s.
I am not sure that blown jet is the primary mean used here.
DARPA notification (see link above) clearly states that a multi-domain approach was evaluated during phase I but only one will be test flown.
Regarding the supposed advantages of hinged surfaces, remember that a moving surface has very high constraints in term of weight, structure and percentage of the chord it can use efficiently. Ailerons don't halve a wing in two for example.
On the contrary, an effector can trigger a wing over flow change at the leading edge and trim that alteration at the trailing edge. You would have here a deviation of wing circulation directly dependent of the chord length, something that can be consequent.
This is how, for example, the Su-57 acts on yaw so effectively: Levcons alter the apparent wing camber differently on each wing to create a non uniform Lift vector on each wing (more camber push the center of pressure forward - less camber rearward). Obviously talking about a very large surface might look counterintuitive. However, since wing circulation is a function of chord length, the effect is identical.
Hence, a narrow band of effectors well positioned can do the work of a large hinged surface.
The goal of the CRANE program is to pioneer the use of active flow control (AFC) techniques, that allow a pilot to change the aerodynamics of the plane and thus its performance.
The only thing that looks really exotic to me are the big holes in the middle of the wings. Maybe that is integral to the active flow technology? It looks like the arrays of pinholes need to be on trailing edges of surfaces.
Also, interestingly there doesn't look like there are any rudders on the tail fins nor any of those arrays of little holes to substitute for them.
interesting that 60 years ago (virtually to the day) the X-21 explored boundary layer control but suffered issues with blockage of holes. will be interested to know what techniques they are using now.
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