8.)%659/ ,QIRUPDWLRQDW 'HF 23DJHVKDYHEHHQUHSULQWHGWRUHGXFHILOH VL]HWRXSORDGWRWKLVIRUXPPDNLQJWKHWH[W 85/VµGHDG¶KRZHYHUWKH85/WH[WUHPDLQV BRIEFING: SHIPBORNE have shown that the F-35B has a Sea State 6) requirement saw ROLLING VERTICAL LANDING critical vulnerability to deck mo- it ruled out on grounds of pilot tion for the SRVL manoeuvre. So workload and risk. So a stabi- [SRVL] c.2008 Richard Scott ZKLOHWKHUHLVFRQ¿GHQFHWKDW lised VLA quickly emerged as a SRVLs can he performed safely sine qua non. [SEA STATE 6: “4 to “...Landing aids in benign conditions with good 6 metres wave height - Very rough & With SRVL now likely to he used visibility, it was apparent that Surface Wind speed from Table can be as a primary recovery technique the real task drivers for the from 27-33 knots” Sea State Table: on board CVF, there is an addi- manoeuvre were higher sea http://www.syqwestinc.com/sup- tional requirement to augment states and night/poor weath- port/Sea%20State%20Table.htm the baseline landing aids suite er conditions.” & http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ with a landing aid appropriate to 6LPXODWRUÀ\LQJXQGHUWDNHQ Sea_state ] the SRVL approach manoeuvre. on both sides of the Atlantic, in- Existing systems were evalu- To this end QinetiQ has been cluding work at BAE Systems’ ated, including the US Navy’s contracted to research, concep- Warton Motion Dome Simulator Improved Fresnel Lens Optical tualise and prototype a new VLA in December 2007, had brought Landing System (IFOLS). “How- concept, known as the Bedford the problem into sharp relief. ever, the verdict on IFOLS was Array, which takes inputs “Quite simply, these simulations that it was reasonably expensive, from inertial references to showed that pilots would crash in not night-vision goggle compat- stabilise against deck mo- high sea state conditions without ible and, as a mechanical system, tions (pitch and heave). The a suitable stabilised visual refer- presented an additional main- software-controlled light- ence,” said Paines. “The need for tenance burden to the carrier,” ing pattern provides an aim- some sort of VLA optimised for says Paines. “So the concept of point for the recovering pilot. SRVL was therefore apparent.” the Bedford Array was conceived, Justin Paines, development Although an unstabilised ap- developed and fully tested in test pilot for QinetiQ, said: proach aid was looked at early around a year in direct response ³6WXG\ZRUNDQGVLPXODWRUÀ\LQJ on, the ‘top end’ (recovery in to MoD requirements.” The science behind the Bed- A trial of the Bedford Array and 19 November 2008 to prove ford Array – so called because concept was undertaken aboard the Bedford Array concept. In all, it was brainstormed at QinetiQ’s the aircraft carrier HMS Illus- 67 vertical landings and around Bedford lab – is deceptively sim- trious in November 2008, with 659/DSSURDFKHVZHUHÀRZQ ple. A linear array of software- QinetiQ using the VAAC Harrier A second lighting array was controlled lights is installed along WHVWEHGWRÀ\DSSURDFKHVWRD ULJJHGRQWKHFDUULHUÀLJKWGHFN WKHFHQWUHOLQHRIWKHD[LDOÀLJKW demonstration Bedford Array itself. This was used for a paral- deck, using a simple mathemati- mounted on the ship, in order to lel evaluation of the visual acuity cal algorithm to switch on the evaluate its ability to accurately RIWKHOLJKWLQJV\VWHPLQGLϑHU- appropriate lights according to indicate an SRVL glideslope aim- ent ambient conditions, on deck. the ship motion references input point. For the purposes of the “This series of trials was de- to the system. These provide a trial, the lighting array was in- VLJQHGWRUH¿QHWKHRSHUDWLRQDO stabilised glideslope indica- stalled in the port catwalk adja- concept, mitigate failure cases tion for the pilot’s helmet dis- FHQWWR,OOXVWULRXV¶ÀLJKWGHFN and optimise the Bedford Array play SRVV symbology. The VAAC Harrier did not visual landing aids arrangement,” “The system ensures that the actually perform SRVL recov- said Lieutenant Commander SLORWÀ\LQJWKHµUROOLQJODQGLQJV¶ eries to the ship, owing to Chris Götke, VAAC project pi- makes an accurate approach to the limited dimensions of the lot and one of the six assessor the deck, even in rough sea con- ÀLJKWGHFN,QVWHDGLWÀHZUHS- pilots participating in the trial. ditions,” said Paines. “It takes resentative SRVL approach pro- ³7KHVROXWLRQZDV¿UVWWHVWHGLQ inputs from external passive ¿OHVWRWKHFDWZDONDUUD\(down QinetiQ labs and has now been references and when com- to a safety height of about 40 proved by successful trials, and bined wilh information in the ft above deck) and then per- will be implemented on the new pilot’s Helmet Mounted Dis- formed a low go-around. carriers.”...” play, allows for a low-work- 4LQHWL4¶V9$$&+DUULHUÀHZD http://www.zinio.com/rea load, stabilised pilot approach total of 39 sorties in the south- der.jsp?issue=384167391 in even the worst conditions.” west approaches between 12 &o=int&prev=sub&p=28 )O\LQJ WKH )%LQVLGH%$( V VHFUHW ZDU PDFKLQH VLPXODWRU WXFNHG DZD\ LQ D TXLHW 8. YLOODJH 0DU /LDW &ODUN KWWSZZZZLUHGFRXNDUWLFOHIVLPXODWRUEDHV\VWHPVZDUWRQ ³7KH VLPXODWRU LV GHVLJQHG WR OHW SLORWV SUDFWLFH RYHU DQG RYHU WKH KDUGHVW SDUWV RI WKHLU WDNHRII DQG ODQGLQJ RQ WKH +06 4XHHQ (OL]DEHWK WR PLWLJDWH WKRVH ULVNV ,W DOVR KHOSV ZLWK WKH PRUH PXQGDQH DVSHFWV RI QDYLJDWLQJ DURXQG D PHWUHORQJ FDUULHU DQG LWV PDQ\ PRYLQJ SDUWV DQG WKH GHWDLOV RI KRZ DOO WKH FRPPXQLFDWLRQV QHWZRUNV RQERDUG ZLOO HYHQWXDOO\ ZRUN WR JHWKHU ³:H IRFXV RQ WKH DUHDV ZKHUH ZH WKLQN WKH ULVN LV JUHDWHVW RU WKHUH LV PRVW WR EH OHDUQW´ VD\V :LOVRQ ³0RVW RI WKH WLPH ZH¶UH WHVWLQJ WKH ILQDO VWDJHV RI WKDW 659/ ODQGLQJ ZLWK D ORW RI VKLS PRWLRQ WKDW¶V UHDOO\ WKH PDMRULW\ RI WKH WLPH 'LIIHUHQW FRQILJXUDWLRQV RI ZHDSRQV IULFWLRQ RQ WKH IOLJKW GHFN ZKHUH LW¶V VOLSSHU\ RLO WKDW FDQ VWLOO FRQWDPLQDWHV WKLV QHZ VXUIDFH´ 7KHUH DUH LQKHUHQW ULVNV ZLWK WKH 659/ ODQGLQJ ZKLFK LV RQO\ SRVVLEOH EHFDXVH RI WKH VL]H RI WKH IOLJKW GHFN RQ +06 4XHHQ (OL]DEHWK 5LVNV OLNH WKH MHW IDOOLQJ RII WKH GHFN ZKHQ LW FRPHV LQ WR ODQG ³<RX PLJKW KDYH D VOLSSHU\ GHFN RU \RX¶UH WRR FORVH WR WKH IURQW RU WKH HQJLQH GRHVQ¶W JR LGOH DW WKH ULJKW WLPH WKHUH DUH VHYHUDO WKLQJV WKDW FDQ KDSSHQ DQG \RX¶UH MXVW JRLQJ WR GURS RII WKH IURQW DQG ORVH WKH DLUSODQH 6R WKLV LV ZK\ LW¶V VXSHU LP SRUWDQW WR GR WKLV OHYHO RI HQJLQHHULQJ WR PDNH VXUH ZH DUH VDIH LQ HYHU\ UHVSHFW WKDW ZH FDQ SRVVLEO\ XQGHUVWDQG EHIRUH ZH JR RXW DQG H[HFXWH LW´ $OO RI WKHVH DVSHFWV RI WKH ODQGLQJ DUH WULDOOHG LQ WKH VLPXODWRU (YHU\WKLQJ IURP WKH ZHDWKHU FRQGLW LRQV WUDFWLRQ RQ WKH GHFN DQG WKH ZHLJKW RI WKH DLUFUDIW FDQ EH PDQLSXODWHG ³,I \RX KDYH D FDUULHU WKDW¶V PRYLQJ XS DQG GRZQ RQ WKH ZDWHU DQG \RX¶UH WU\LQJ WR ODQG RQ LW LI \RX¶UH FRPLQJ GRZQ D IL[HG JOLGH SDWK DQG QRW WU\LQJ WR JR XS DQG GRZQ ZLWK LW ZKLFK LV DZNZDUG LW¶V XQSUHGLFWDEOH ZKHUH \RX¶UH JRLQJ WR WRXFK GRZQ´ H[SODLQV :LOVRQ ³,I WKH FDUULHU LV ORZ \RX PLJKW ODQG YHU\ ORQJ UHPHPEHU ZH WDONHG DERXW WKH SRVVLELOLW\ RI UXQQLQJ RII WKH HQG"´ 7KH QHZ OLJKWLQJ V\VWHP IODVKHV RQ DQG RII XS DQG GRZQ WKH GHFN LQ VXFK D ZD\ WKDW WKH SLORW DOZD\V KDV D IL[HG SRLQW WR DLP IRU QR PDWWHU WKH PRYHPHQW RI WKH VKLS RU WKH ZHDWKHU ³,W¶V WKH UHDVRQ ZK\ ZH ERWKHUHG ZLWK WKLV´ :LOVRQ VD\V LQGLFDWLQJ WR WKH VLPXODWRU ³,I LW¶V GRQH SURSHUO\ \RX OHDUQ VR PXFK´ 7KH ) VLPXODWRU DQG IXWXUH LWHUDWLRQV DUH GHVLJQHG WR KHOS WKH 5R\DO 1DY\ DQG RWKHUV JHW WR WKDW SRVLWLRQ RI SUHFLV LRQ ,W¶V DERXW PLWLJDWLQJ WKH ULVNV WR WKH SLORW DQG HYHU\RQH RQ ERDUG D FDUULHU %XW DOVR KRSHIXOO\ OLPLWLQJ WKH OLNHOLKRRG RI WKH FKDRV XVXDOO\ DVVRFLDWHG ZLWK ZDUIDUH ³8QWLO \RX¶YH GRQH LW \RX GRQ¶W NQRZ TXLWH KRZ LW¶V JRLQJ WR JR´ :LOVRQ DGPLWV ZKHQ GLVFXVVLQJ D VSHFLILF PDQRHXYUH UHWXUQLQJ ZLWK DQ XQHYHQ ORDG RQ WKH ) ³6R ZH KDYH YHU\ JRRG PRGHOOLQJ ZH JR WR WKH VLPXODWRU ZH WUDLQ DQG ZH SUDFWLFH DQG ZH WDON DERXW LW D ORW LQ RXU PHHWLQJV :H SODQ WKH WHVW LQ LQWULFDWH GHWDLO ZH UHGXFH WKH ULVN DV PXFK DV ZH FDQ EXW XOWLPDWHO\ ZKHQ \RX JR DQG GR LW IRU WKH ILUVW WLPH \RX YH MXVW JRW WR VXFN LW DQG VHH 7KHUH LV VRPH LQKHUHQW ULVN LQ WKDW EXW ZH KDYH EHFRPH YHU\ JRRG RYHU WKH \HDUV DW UHGXFLQJ WKDW ULVN GRZQ WR WKH PLQLPXP´´ F-35B Lightning II BAE Systems plays a leading role F-35 QEC Carrier Integration Short take-off/vertical landing integrating the F-35B with the fighter-bomber Queen Elizabeth Class Aircraft Length 15.6m (51.2ft) Carriers for the UK. Height 4.36m (14.3ft) Wingspan 10.7m (35ft) Combining the biggest and most powerful surface warships ever Speed 1.6 Mach (1,200mph) made for the Royal Navy with the world’s first supersonic STOVL (Short Take Off and Vertical Landing) aircraft, the UK will have a Payload 15,000lb matchless capability when they enter service. Range >900 nautical miles F-35B Vertical Landing (VL) The advanced control system and flight deck layout minimise pilot workload when landing vertically on QEC’s flight deck. KWWSVZZZEDHV\VWHPV A dedicated simulation facility at BAE Systems Warton, Lancashire, has enabled engineers and pilots, to experience operating the F-35 from FRPHQGRZQORDGHQ the QEC carrier well in advance of entry into service. Trials conducted in the simulator are helping determine how the aircraft will operate from the carrier and are being used to optimise the ship/air interface. F-35B Take off from the Ski Jump Ramp The ski-jump has been designed to optimise launch performance.