The Jaguar FBW/ACT Warton Began Working on the Fighter P110, a Twin Engined Delta with Canards and a Twin-Fin
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n the late 1970s BAe's project team at A The all-British Aircraft'. the all-British P.110, a twin The Jaguar FBW/ACT Warton began working on the fighter P110, a twin engined delta with canards and a twin-fin. As part of its preparation for the to replace the Lightning and the engined delta with This led to a design jointly produced by all Lightning/Phantom replacement British Phantom. Their objective was to canards and a the Panavia partners - the Agile Combat Aerospace Warton had already been produce an aircraft equal to the General twin-fin mock-up Aircraft (ACA) which was publicly researching into the benefits of'Fly by was a BAe proposal Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon . In 1979 displayed for the first time as a full-scale wire' (FBW) technology and relaxed for an aircraft to BAe and Messerschmitt-Bolkow-Blohm mock-up at Farnborough 1982. The ACA replace the stability. To trial these the MoD funded (MBB) agreed to work together on a new Lightning and the was relatively light, highly-manoeuvrable the conversion of a Sepecat Jaguar to fighter design and devised the 'European Phantom. and capable of Mach 2. There was no prove them in flight. Originally built at Combat Fighter'. Then Dassault joined (BAE SYSTEMS North official support for the ACA but on 26 May Warton, Jaguar XX765 first flew in June BAe and MBB and the project was West Heritage) 1983 the Ministry of Defence placed a 1975 and after brief service with the RAF renamed the 'European Combat Aircraft'. contract with BAe Warton to produce to was put into store at Abingdon twelve This fell by the wayside but Warton's produce a single experimental aircraft months after its maiden flight. It was project engineers continued working on serial led ZF534 based on the ACA. It was reactivated and flown back to Warton in their designs and produced a smaller, to be funded 50 :50 by the state and by August 1978 for its extensive modification cheaper version of the 'European Combat industry. as a FBW trials machine. 104 The Aircraft of British Aerospace and BAE SYSTEMS 1977 - 2017 . ' ., .. ~ -~~J. .. ~ - ............ .. ~ .. t ... ib . ...... • .. r, . ~. .' >>f -· ..· '1,....: . ~ . • , . f . i ~.;;'i"_.,. EAP TO EUROFIGHTER TYPHOON ., .' .. I' . p.fl ·. r. f, , '.II • •• , : t - - ... .... • r , • I • I ' - I .M • e! - -- I t l I n~ .. ,' ' - - ' - .. r· • • • - •••• ' • • • .... - . • ----• ~ .. ~ . - . - ,~ .' • • ' ,,= , ' .. - - • ' ! ....- :-Jnr~. • 'L-i-- -,.• ~t-T , ,.--"'.'; l I I ,,,;- - ,,,,- - .... ,, .._ - I I I •.ii, ~~"'· I • , , . .. .· •. ~ '"' .. A The Pl 10 led to a design jointly produced by all the Tornado partners - the Agile Combat Aircraft (ACA) which was publicly displayed for the first time as a full-scale mock-up at Farnborough 1982. (BAE SYSTEMS North West Heritage) On 20 October 1981 BAe's Chris Yeo first Aight with these fitted in March 1984. carefree handling, however hard he made a world first when he piloted To yet further increase the aircraft's pulled the control column the aircraft Jaguar S62 XX765 on its maiden flight as instability, in July it was flown with never exceeded its flight envelope limits. a fly-by-wire experimental aircraft. It destabilising ballast in fuel tanks on the The Jaguar FBW/ACT made a total of used four independent computer inboard wing pylons. In this configuration 96 flights until its retirement in controlled electrica l channels to relay XX765 was very unstable but the FBW September 1984 and is now on display at instructions to the Aight surfaces. It was systems enabled the pilot to indulge in the RAF Museum, Cosford. • the first aircraft ever to Ay with its conventional control rod-controlled control surfaces entirely replaced by electrically signalled controls with no form of mechanical back-up. Any breakdown in the FBW control would have left the pilot with no other alternative than to have ejected. From the start, the programme was an outstanding success. The FBW Jaguar was effortless to fly and handled superbly at incidences which normal Jaguars could not reach. Pilots commented on the lightness of the controls and the crispness of the response. In 1983 Scwt lead ballast was added in the tail to make the Jaguar unstable. Whereas aircraft had to be stable for a pilot to fly them, this natural stability worked against manoeuvring but with the addition of computers an unstable aircraft could be safely controlled. Following its initial trials as an unstable aircraft it was then fitted with large wing leading-edge strakes, to further decrease longitudinal static A As part of the research for the new fighter the MoD funded the conversion of a Sepecat Jaguar to prove the stabi lity. It was retitled the Jaguar ACT benefits of'Fly by wire' (FBW) technology and relaxed stability. Jaguar XX765 made its maiden flight as a 'Fly-by-wire' (Active Control Technology). It made its experimental aircraft. Note 'FBW' on the fin. (BAE SYSTEMS North West Heritage) The Aircraft of British Aerospace and BAE SYSTEMS 1977 - 2017 105 Experimental Aircraft Programme The Experimental Aircraft Programme (EAP) was built to demonstrate several recent developments for the first time. These included full authority digital fly-by-wire, and unstable canard delta configuration, electronic cockpit design, digital engine control, composite materials and stealth. Initially there were to be two EAPs, one each in Britain and Germany but in December 1983 the German the Italian governments withdrew support. Germany was to have built the centre and rear fuselage, but without its contribution the airframe was built by BAe at Warton and employed a Tornado rear fuselage and fin/rudder. Aeritalia invested some of its own funds to remain in the project, fabricating one of the carbon-fibre wings and BAe built the other. Equipment suppliers were eager to stay connected the project. Turbo-Union leant two RBl 99 engines and German and Italian firms donated equipment to the EAP; though more than half of the equipment suppliers were from the UK. Carbon fibre was used in the wing, foreplane, cockpit substructure and side panels, accounting for 25 per cent of the structure weight. If the two partner countries had not dropped out this proportion would have been even greater. The EAP was a single-seat delta canard powered by two Turbo-Union RBl 99 with reheat each developing 17,000 lbs thrust as installed on the XX765 was flown with ballast as an unstable aircraft and was then fitted with large wing leading-edge strakes, to Tornado F3 interceptor but without their further decrease longitudinal stability. These yellow strakes are clearly seen in this photo prior to painting. It was thrust reversers. The EAP's chin intake retitled the Jaguar ACT (Active Control Technology). (BAE SYSTEMS North West Heritage) with a hinged lower lip which rotated down at slow speeds and higher angle of attack to improve flow into the engine. At higher speeds it moved up to minimise spillage drag. The compound delta wing with its 57° sweep inboard and moderate 45° sweep outboard was 36ft 8in wide. There were 13 control surfaces, including camber changing leading edge slats and flaps to provide maximum lift in subsonic combat and minimum drag in supersonic flight. Pitch control was provided by the ;• - 11 - all-moving canard foreplane and trailing edge flaperons. Twin airbrakes were fitted on the upper rear fuselage. Because the EAP was 1So/o more unstable than the ACT Jaguar and with its plethora of control surfaces the fl ight computers operated at three times the speed of the Jaguar ACT. Overall length was 48ft 3in and the fuselage was area ruled to reduce drag, the nose was drooped to offer good visibility. Fuel was mainly carried in the wings but 14 smal ler tanks were fitted in the fuselage. In many respects the EAP was fundamentally different from its predecessors. Manufacturers no longer just developed the airframe leaving the remainder to sub-contractors; avionics is at the heart of the combat aircraft's A XX765 flying with Tornado F2 ZD901. The large wing leading-edge strakes are now painted and the 'ACT' on the fin capabilities and BAe brought that is for 'Active Control Technology'. (BAE SYSTEMS North West Heritage) technology in-house. 106 The Aircraft of British Aerospace and BAE SYSTEMS 1977 - 2017 EAP TO EUROFIGHTER TYPHOON - A The EAP (Experimental Aircraft Programme) ZF534 was built to demonstrate full authority digital fly-by-wire, unstable canard delta configuration, electronic cockpit design, digital engine control, composite materials and stealth. It made its maiden flight on 8 August 1986. (BAE SYSTEMS North West Heritage) Flight trials Rolled out on 16 April 1986, the single EAP ZF534, piloted by Dave Eagles, made ._.·-r1 its maiden flight on 8 August and --~ unusually for such an event reached Mach 1.1 at 30,000ft. It then achieved 20 flights in the subsequent 17 days and was cleared to Mach 1.4 and 39,000ft. Then it was flown to Farnborough where it impressed the crowds. The EAP's flight envelope was gradually expanded and in June the flowing year it was demonstrated at the Paris Air Show during which it made its 100th flight. On its return from France it was flown by MBB, Aeritalia and RAF pilots. David Eagles commented that the EAP was a delight to fly and with the addition of a weapons system would have been an excellent fighter. In 1989 the EAP was fitted with a Eurofighter type single airbrake in support of its development. This was fixed and could only be altered when the aircraft was on the ground. It was tested at various incidences up to speeds of Mach 0.9.