ACES II STRUCTURAL UPGRADE PROGRAM UPDATE

摘要

The ACES II ejection seat was designed and qualified in the early 1970s. At that time the recognized aircrew weight range was 140 to 211 pounds (nude weight). Accordingly, the structure of the seat was designed to accommodate this range. Today, changes in the aircrew population have required that the weight range be expanded to accommodate 103 to 245 pounds. Sled testing at 600 knots equivalent airspeed (KEAS), using high fidelity manikins weighing 245 pounds, has resulted in failure(s) of the ACES II ejection seat structure. A contract was awarded to the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) by Brooks AFB to determine the root cause(s) and develop a single retrofit concept that would eliminate the failure mode(s). Root cause analysis and testing confirmed that large aircrew are at risk during ejections above 500 KEAS. In addition, the two basic configurations of the ACES II seat, one with a center ejection handle and one with two side ejection handles, have challenged the requirement to come up with a single solution for retrofit. Also challenging is the limited space available in the various ACES II equipped airframes to accept structural modification concepts. As a result of this original contract, Brooks AFB awarded two additional contracts to Goodrich to finalize the retrofit configurations and qualify them. Qualification testing was completed during the second quarter of CY'02.