Guy Norris/SEATTLE
Boeing has completed the first full-mission simulation demonstrations for its Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) design and has transferred assembly of a major airframe module to the former McDonnell Douglas (MDC) fighter plant in St Louis, Missouri.
The company is "on target" for roll-out of the first X-32A concept-demonstrator aircraft in late 1999, says Boeing JSF deputy programme manager Fred May. "The first parts are being manufactured and we have a number of tools in place here in Seattle and in St Louis. We should be starting assembly of the modules in mid-year," he adds.
The JSF programme is already benefiting from Boeing's recent merger with MDC, he says. "We're using MDC's expertise and the forebody is being designed and manufactured in St Louis. They're also involved in the integrated propulsion and control work and they are doing major work in the manufacturing and design areas, as is Boeing North America [formerly Rockwell]," May asserts. The forebody was originally scheduled to be built in Seattle, along with the other major modules, the mid body, aft body (tail) and wing.
"We have also put together a full-mission simulation, which we have just run for the first time, and we will be using that over the next four years to help validate the whole concept," says May. The simulator is located at the Developmental Center at Boeing Field in Seattle, and is being used to demonstrate three critical JSF technologies: onboard/offboard data fusion; single-seat cockpit and pilot-vehicle interface; and fighting capability. The dome simulator is running real-time mission scenarios provided by the US Department of Defense.
The simulation is the first of four sequentially scheduled simulator-based demonstrations due to occur during the current concept- demonstration phase (CDP). The results from tests run on a separate handling-qualities simulator, which is being used to define control laws, will form part of the full-mission simulation.
The first complete demonstration was run with pilots from all four services due to buy the JSF - the US Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps and the Royal Navy. For this reason, Boeing - like its JSF competitor, Lockheed Martin - is also defining a multi-service operational aircraft, known as the preferred weapon-system concept, for the next phase of the programme, covering engineering and manufacturing development.
Under the current CDP phase, two X-32 demonstrators are being assembled for first flight during the second quarter of 2000.
One of the few major decisions remaining, the choice of aircraft platform for mission-avionics tests, will be taken "early in 1998", says May. "We have to have an aircraft flying by late 1999," he adds.
Source: Flight International
