Keywords
aircraft, tanker, UAV, concept, flying wing, survivable
Select the category the research project fits.
Innovative Technology/Entrepreneurship/Design
Is this submission part of ICaP/PW (Introductory Composition at Purdue/Professional Writing)?
No
Abstract
The purpose of this concept design is to assess the performance of a survivable and autonomous tanker aircraft that would augment the current U.S. Air Force tanker fleet as a low-cost solution for delivering fuel to fighter aircraft in high-risk combat environments. The design process started with research of the performance parameters and mission profiles of current tanker and fighter aircraft, which was leveraged to create a mission profile and a set of specifications for the conceptual design. The tanker aircraft was required to have a flight range of 3,000 miles, cruise at 35,000 feet at Mach 0.85, and offload 36,000 pounds of fuel amongst two fighter aircraft. The next step was to iterate through aircraft weight and engine performance estimates until the calculated performance values met a basic set of mission specifications. Once the basic parameters for the aircraft were decided, various software tools, such as Open Vehicle Sketch Pad, were used to refine the shape, aerodynamics, and stability of the aircraft to fulfill the remaining mission requirements. Weighing just over 100,000 pounds at takeoff, the autonomous tanker aircraft carries about 66,000 pounds of fuel, has a range of 3,500 miles, and cruises at 35,000 feet at Mach 0.85. Novel features were incorporated into the design such as a flying wing body, engines embedded within the body, and a retractable refueling boom to increase survivability. Military researchers might consider developing low-cost, expendable, unmanned aircraft that augment the capabilities of existing military aircraft while taking risk away from pilots.
Recommended Citation
Ottinger, Neal, "Aircraft Concept Design for a Survivable Autonomous Tanker" (2019). Purdue Undergraduate Research Conference. 40.
https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/purc/2019/Posters/40
Aircraft Concept Design for a Survivable Autonomous Tanker
The purpose of this concept design is to assess the performance of a survivable and autonomous tanker aircraft that would augment the current U.S. Air Force tanker fleet as a low-cost solution for delivering fuel to fighter aircraft in high-risk combat environments. The design process started with research of the performance parameters and mission profiles of current tanker and fighter aircraft, which was leveraged to create a mission profile and a set of specifications for the conceptual design. The tanker aircraft was required to have a flight range of 3,000 miles, cruise at 35,000 feet at Mach 0.85, and offload 36,000 pounds of fuel amongst two fighter aircraft. The next step was to iterate through aircraft weight and engine performance estimates until the calculated performance values met a basic set of mission specifications. Once the basic parameters for the aircraft were decided, various software tools, such as Open Vehicle Sketch Pad, were used to refine the shape, aerodynamics, and stability of the aircraft to fulfill the remaining mission requirements. Weighing just over 100,000 pounds at takeoff, the autonomous tanker aircraft carries about 66,000 pounds of fuel, has a range of 3,500 miles, and cruises at 35,000 feet at Mach 0.85. Novel features were incorporated into the design such as a flying wing body, engines embedded within the body, and a retractable refueling boom to increase survivability. Military researchers might consider developing low-cost, expendable, unmanned aircraft that augment the capabilities of existing military aircraft while taking risk away from pilots.