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Contributions of the Langley Research Center to U.S. Military Aircraft of the 1990S

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Contributions of the Langley Research Center to U.S. Military Aircraft of the 1990S Contributions of the Langley Research Center to U.S. Military Aircraft of the 1990s Joseph R. Chambers 1 4 NASA SP-2000-4519 Partners in Freedom Contributions of the Langley Research Center to U.S. Military Aircraft of the 1990's By Joseph R. Chambers Monographs in Aerospace History Number 19 The NASA History Series National Aeronautics and Space Administration Office of Policy and Plans NASA History Division Washington, DC 2000 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Chambers, Joseph R. Partners in freedom contributions of the Langley Research Center to U.S. military aircraft of the 1990's / by Joseph R. Chambers. p. cm. -- (NASA history series) Includes bibliographical references and index. 1. Langley Research Center. 2. Aeronautics, Military--Research--United States--History. 3. Airplaces, Military--United States--Design and construction. I. Title. II. Series. UG644.H36 .C43 2000 623.7'46'072073--dc2 1 00-056072 The use of trademarks or names of manufacturers in this publication is for accurate reporting and does not constitute an official endorsement, either expressed or implied, of such products or manufacturers by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Acknowledgments I am sincerely indebted to the dozens of current and retired employees of the NASA Langley Research Center who consented to be interviewed and submitted their personal experiences, recollections, and files from which this documentation of Langley contri- butions was drawn. The following individuals contributed vital information to this effort: Irving Abel Stuart G. Flechner Linwood W. McKinney William J. Alford, Jr. Charles H. Fox, Jr. James C. Newman, Jr. Jerry M. Allen Charles M. Fremaux Luat T. Nguyen Theodore G. Ayers William P. Gilbert James C. Patterson, Jr. Donald D. Baals Sue B. Grafton John W. Paulson, Jr. E. Ann Bare David E. Hahne Edward C. Polhamus Bobby L. Berrier James B. Hallissy Richard J. Re Ralph P. Bielat Perry W. Hanson Wilmer H. Reed, Jr. James S. Bowman, Jr. Roy V. Harris, Jr. Rodney H. Ricketts Francis J. Capone Lowell E. Hasel Charles L. Ruhlin Huey D. Carden William P. Henderson Maynard C. Sandford Stanley R. Cole Charles M. Jackson David S. Shaw Mark A. Croom Lisa E. Jones M. Leroy Spearman Richard G. Culpepper Joseph L. Johnson, Jr. Raymond D. Whipple H. Benson Dexter Donald F. Keller Richard T. Whitcomb Robert V. Doggett Richard E. Kuhn Thomas J. Yager Robert H. Daugherty John E. Lamar E. Carson Yates Moses G. Farmer Laurence K. Loftin, Jr Long P. Yip Donald L. Loving Special thanks to Bobby Berrier and Patricia A. West, who provided their superb techni- cal editing and proofreading skills to the project. I would like to express my special grat- itude to Noel A. Talcott and Jeffrey A. Yetter, who provided the inspiration to undertake this activity, and to A. Gary Price, who provided the mechanism. Thanks also to Percival J. Tesoro for the cover design, Leanna D. Bullock for assistance with the photographs, Peggy S. Overbey for manuscript preparation services, Cathy W. Everett for bibliography verification and formatting, Christine A. Ryan for printing coordination, and Gail S. Langevin for editing and document production coordination. Ultimately, however, the greatest thanks go to the thousands of current and retired employees of the NASA Langley Research Center, who provided the personal dedica- tion, expertise, and innovation that enabled the legendary contributions covered in this work. Joseph R. Chambers Yorktown, VA April 20, 2000 Acknowledgments Page intentionally left blank Page intentionally left blank Preface For over 80 years, Langley Research Center has exemplified the cutting edge of world- class aeronautics research for civil and military aircraft. Established in 1917 as the nation's first civil aeronautics research laboratory under the charter of the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA), Langley initially existed as a small, highly productive laboratory with emphasis on solving the problems of flight for the military and the civil aviation industry. During World War II (WWII), the Langley Memorial Aeronautical Laboratory directed virtually all of its workforce and facilities to research for military aircraft. Following WWII, a more balanced program of military and civil projects was undertaken. The emergence of the Space Age and the incorpora- tion of the NACA and Langley into the new National Aeronautics and Space Adminis- tration (NASA) led to a rapid growth of space related research and the cultural change of the old laboratory into a major research center. Today, Langley research efforts encompass critical areas of both aeronautics and space technology. Throughout its history, Langley has maintained a close working partnership with the Department of Defense, U.S. industry, universities, and other government agencies to support the defense of the nation with fundamental and applied research. Many of the legendary contributions of Langley to military aircraft technology have been discussed and documented by specialists, the media, and historians. Langley contributions to famous military projects such as the aircraft drag cleanup studies of WWII, the advent of supersonic flight and the X-1, the development and tests of the Century-series fight- ers, the X- 15, and many, many others have been archived in detail. The objective of this particular undertaking is to document the contributions of Langley Research Center to specific military aircraft that were operational in the 1990's. Virtu- ally all military aircraft that participated in Operation Desert Storm, Kosovo, and other peacekeeping missions of this era have Langley technical contributions to their design, development, and support. In some instances Langley research from one aircraft devel- opment program helped to solve a problem in another development program. At the conclusion of some development programs, Langley researchers obtained the research models to conduct additional tests to learn more about previously unknown phenomena. These data also proved useful in later developmental programs. Perhaps the most con- sistent element in all of the research programs is the length of time for the development and maturation of new research concepts before they are implemented in new aircraft. Many of the military aircraft in the U.S. inventory as of late 1999 were over 20 years old. Langley activities that contributed to the development of some of these aircraft began over 50 years prior. Preface This publication documents the role—from early concept stages to problem solving for fleet aircraft—that Langley played in the military aircraft fleet of the United States for the 1990's. The declassification of documents and other material has provided an oppor- tunity to record the contributions of Langley personnel and facilities and discuss the impact of these contributions on Department of Defense aircraft programs. This review is intended for the general public with an interest in aircraft development. For more technical information about specific aircraft and programs, please see the publications listed in the bibliography. Readers familiar with NASA and its research centers will note that the former Lewis Research Center is referred to by its new name, Glenn Research Center. The decision to use the new name was made to avoid confusion for those readers less familiar with the NASA centers and to avoid disruptive explanations in the text for all readers. Vi Preface Contents Introduction . 1 Langley Contributions to Selected Aircraft .............. 3 BAI Exdrone BQM-147A ............................ 5 Highlights of Research by Langley for the Exdrone .............. 5 Langley Contributions to the Exdrone BQM-147A...............7 Background.......................................................7 Langley Research Efforts ............................................7 Subsequent Exdrone Vehicle Applications ...............................8 Boeing AV-8 Harrier .............................. 11 Highlights of Research by Langley for the AV-8 ................11 Langley Contributions to the AV-8............................13 Background......................................................13 Contributions to the P1127 .........................................13 Contributions to the Kestrel .........................................16 Contributions to the AV-8 ...........................................18 Boeing C-17 Globemaster III ........................21 Highlights of Research by Langley for the C-17 ................21 Langley Contributions to the C-17...........................23 The CX Competition ...............................................23 The Externally Blown Flap Concept ..................................23 TheYC-15 .......................................................24 The C- 17 Supercritical Wing, Winglets, and Aerodynamic Studies ...........26 Composite Materials...............................................27 Fly-by-Wire Control System .........................................27 Avoiding the Deep Stall ............................................27 Recognition Visit..................................................28 Contents vii Boeing F/A- 18 Hornet . 29 Highlights of Research by Langley for the F/A- 18 .............. 29 Langley Contributions to the F/A- 18 ......................... 31 Vortex Lift and Maneuvering Flaps ................................... 31 Development of the YF-17 ........................................... 32 F/A-l8AtoF/A-18D ..................................... 35 Development of the F/A-18
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