Smart flight test approach for a new military version of a legacy commercial aircraft program

Davide Reviglio, Department of “Ground and Flight Test Validation & Verification”, Leonardo Aircraft Division, Torinese, Italy
Emanuela Margarito, Department of “Ground and Flight Test Validation & Verification”, Leonardo Aircraft Division, Torinese, Italy

Abstract

Many years ago when our Aircraft Division (former Alenia Aeronautica) started dealing with Flight Tests on the integration of weapon systems, we would have never thought that in 2017 we would have been involved in a project to integrate loads and torpedoes on a purely civilian platform as an ATR aircraft.

With both ATR42 and ATR72 aircrafts, Leonardo developed the "Special Versions" for different armed forces. These versions were initially dedicated to the "Surveillance" role and further on, on the basis of this experience, improved capabilities, included an armed version too, had been added.

In particular, the Aircraft Division of Leonardo designed the conversion of a civil production "green standard" aircraft into a state-of-the-art "Maritime Patrol" configuration/version by installing a technologically advanced Mission System on board and integrating internal and external payloads. The aircraft functionalities are managed simultaneously from both the cockpit and the cabin.

Guaranteeing a reduction/optimization in terms of costs without decreasing the standard quality required represented one of the major challenges; how do we deal with a similar project today?

For the flight test department a reduction in terms of costs means an optimization in the number of flights/flight hours, guaranteeing that all the required tests are carried out for demonstrating development and certification requirements.

The key foundations and related activities by which this process has been implemented are:
− Dedicated specific specialists to improve test proficiency, by using Training, Team Work with Exchange and Sharing of Skills and Experiences
− Closer and Continuous Cooperation with the Customer
Leonardo has identified the specific internal expert figure of MSO, “Mission System Operator”.

The MSO is in charge of the “Mission System” during all the delicate phases of development, implementation, flight test and documentation up to the final certification. Leonardo sent its MSO representatives/experts to attend dedicated training courses held by the “MissionSystem” supplier, both at the beginning and during system development/integration, thus obtaining continuous training of his staff generating a specialist who has completely replaced the need of an “external” operator. The MSO’s are represented by resources with a background such as Lead Flight Test Engineer, thus assuring simplification of the management of the flying activity and moreover the active evaluation of the “test points” in flight and their optimization in order to concentrate more tests in the same flight.

The MSO’s, in close cooperation with the Flight Test Engineers and Test Pilots form a highly skilled team to manage the flight tests process from the “test requirements” to the “report of the test results”, passing through the in-flight testing, in a very compressed time compared to other similar programs carried out in the past.

A closer and continuous cooperation with the customer allows then to share its operational experience with Leonardo’s Mission System Operator both during the design phase of the tests and the in-flight support phase, during the on board activities. This active collaboration is essential to optimize the specialist use of the Mission System and, at the same time, to verify already during the testing phase the compliance/correspondence of the product with the customer’s requirements.

In this ATR-600 Maritime Patrol project Leonardo decided to use only one instrumented aircraft for the experimental in-flight testing. To do this it was decided to adopt the approach and the process model described above, which means "Sharing Experiences" and "Acquiring new Competencies" as the bases of the process. In addition, we expect an optimization in terms of number and duration of customer acceptance flights as well as the compression of the testing phase with related appreciable cost savings.

The experience of the MSO approach and the cooperative model with the Maritime Patrol Customer is considered fundamental to reach the target of this ambitious project. Currently and in the future much more time and cost constraints will be present in the development and certification activities and especially with the Flight Test: “Fewer Aircraft to Flight Test” needs new process and sharing of skills/experience while maintaining at the same time the capability to steer the activity. By the way, the challenge of the Flight Test Engineers will always be oriented to satisfy the multiple "Test Objectives" optimizing flight hours maintaining at the same time the high standards of safety and effectiveness, because, as stated by "Chuck Yeager", "The Flight Testing is potentially dangerous".