Development Of Ethernet-Based Flight Test Instrumentation

Johan M. Klijn, National Aerospace Laboratory NLR, The Netherlands
Rian J. Striegel, National Aerospace Laboratory NLR, The Netherlands
Frank van Rijn, National Aerospace Laboratory NLR, The Netherlands
Yuri P.H. Oterdoom, Royal Netherlands Air Force, The Netherlands

Abstract

Ethernet network based data communication instead of the conventional IRIG-PCM point-to-point data connections. The reason for this development is obvious: the data communication uses Commercial Off-The-Shelf interfaces, both hardware and software, and therefore savings are made on the system’s complexity and costs.

Also at the National Aerospace Laboratory NLR this change has taken place and Ethernet-based data acquisition and recording components have been used in some recent major flight test projects. For two of these projects the Ethernet developments are highlighted.

Firstly, the FTI system in the F-16BM “Orange Jumper” test aircraft of the Royal Netherlands Air Force has been updated to an Ethernet-based master-slave data acquisition system. With the application of this system significant savings could be achieved on costs for dedicated flight test wiring in the aircraft.

Secondly, the Generic Instrumentation System for the Defence Helicopter Command with the main purpose of ship/helicopter qualification trials is also based on Ethernet components, especially for real-time quick-look facilities on board of both the ship and the helicopter and the telemetry data link between both platforms.

These examples show that already important progress has been made in the past years introducing Ethernet-based components in FTI systems. However, the transition from legacy IRIG-PCM based FTI systems to Ethernet-based systems does require hardware and software changes throughout the entire flight test instrumentation system. To perform these changes in a more integrated system approach new knowledge is required. At present a research program is performed to obtain this knowledge.