Preliminary Design of Coplanar Joined Wing Aircraft with Integrated Active Flow Control
Alexander W. Feldstein, Kevin R. Uleck, John C. Floyd, Cody Gray, Niko Intravartolo, Matthew Stauffer, Timothy J. Garrett
Abstract
View Video Presentation: https://doi.org/10.2514/6.2023-2627.vid The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s (DARPA) Control of Revolutionary Aircraft with Novel Effectors (CRANE) program aims to mature active flow control (AFC) technology by developing a dedicated AFC flying test bed aircraft. Conceptual design studies in Phase 0 led to the selection of a coplanar joined wing (CJW) aircraft for the CRANE X-Plane. The design was refined and completed through preliminary design in the subsequent Phase 1 of the program. The purpose-designed AFC testbed X-plane has a 7,220 pound maximum gross weight, is designed for AFC testing at up to Mach 0.7, and includes an integrated pneumatic AFC system that distributes pressurized air from a dedicated compressor to a total of fourteen AFC effectors installed on all flying surfaces. The configuration was tailored to gather AFC effect data on multiple wing sweeps relevant to tactical aircraft and demonstrate all-axis flight control using AFC only. The vehicle features modular AFC banks on each wing to enable testing of other nozzle designs. Additionally, the outboard wing can be entirely replaced to test other AFC effector technologies. The aircraft is uncrewed to minimize safety risk and associated design requirements and makes use of standard commercial aerospace parts to minimize technical risk and cost. This aircraft aims to benefit a broad research community across government, industry, and academia, enhancing the design of future vision systems exploiting AFC.