Naomi Cooper
BAE Systems has performed high-speed wind tunnel testing to demonstrate the ability of an active flow control technology to enhance the performance, maintainability and survivability of military aircraft.
The company said Thursday a full-scale, 3D-printed active flow control effector model was put to test at its wind tunnel facilities in Lancashire as part of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s Control of Revolutionary Aircraft with Novel Effectors program.
Under the CRANE contract awarded in 2021, BAE handles the mature design, integration and de-risking activities to inform future phases of the program.
BAE engineers employed a supercomputer from the U.S. Army’s Engineer Research and Development Center to test predictions in the X-plane’s aerodynamic characteristics, which were generated by the in-house Computer Fluid Dynamics software.
“Our engineers have used new digital modeling prediction software and applied their experience in active flow control technologies, to complete significant testing at our wind tunnel facilities,” said Tom Fillingham, senior vice president of U.S. programs at BAE’s air sector.
