NATO AVT-239 Task Group: 'Innovative Control Effectors for Manoeuvring of Air Vehicles' - Introduction and Overview

摘要

Active flow control (AFC) holds the potential to transform the flight control of current and next generation aircraft by eliminating conventional, mechanically-deflected control surfaces. Such a system could reduce the weight and complexity of the vehicle while maintaining the same or superior system performance. A recent NATO research task group has investigated a suite of AFC-based flight control systems for use in next-generation tailless military aircraft. The group has evaluated and generated performance data for individual AFC technologies on representative aircraft and developed flight control models from these data. Simulated mission scenarios were then 'flown' with the models to inform a systems/trades assessment of the AFC flight controlled vehicle. This paper describes the motivation for the study, the formation and organization of teams within the task group, and an introduction to the specific tasks undertaken by each team. Companion papers describe in greater detail each part of the task group's effort.