UH-60M Upgrade Fly-By-Wire Flight Control Risk Reduction using the RASCAL JUH-60A In-Flieht Simulator

摘要

The U.S. Army Aeroflightdynamics Directorate (AFDD), Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation (SAC), and the U.S. Army Utility Helicopter Program Office (UHPO) have completed rapid risk reduction development for the UH-60M Upgrade fly-by-wire flight control system using the RASCAL JUH-60A In-Flight Simulator and AFDD advanced flight control development tools. Analytic preparations included the development and validation of advanced dynamic models of the UH-60A and UH-60M flight mechanics, and optimization of the UH-60M Upgrade control laws with these models. The RASCAL aircraft was extensively modified to host key hardware and software elements of the UH-60M Upgrade flight control system, including prototype active cyclic and collective inceptors. The first flight of the system occurred on December 22, 2006, approximately one year after the UH-60M Upgrade System Requirements Review, and 15 months before the first prototype of the UH-60M Upgrade is scheduled to fly. Since that time, the control laws have been extensively matured on RASCAL during approximately 100 hours of flight test development; and significant improvements in handling qualities have been demonstrated relative to the UH-60A/L baseline. The RASCAL system and AFDD rapid flight control prototyping tools enabled quick implementation of the pre-production control laws in the world's only full authority fly-by-wire Black Hawk and the rapid evolution of the control laws in a fail-safe flight environment. This was accomplished early in the overall development of the UH-60M Upgrade, effectively reducing technical, programmatic, and flight safety risk for the program.