Flexible Aircraft System Testbed (FAST) Research Project

 

Problem Statement

•Problem: 

Time to initial operating capacity (IOC) too long in aircraft industry

•Observation:

Current aircraft systems fail to take advantage of design commonalities

•Solution:

Demonstrate common architecture capable of creating many varied aircraft

 

Goals

•Maximize commonality

–Standard joints and components

–Commercial off the shelf (COTS) components

•Adjustable components

–Each component covers a wide design space

–E.g. adjustable CG, “sliding” placement of wings on molds

•Common manufacturing processes and tooling

 

Architecture Design Process

1. Optimize Aircraft for Individual Missions

2. Examine Commonalities and Weigh Tradeoffs

3. Design Flexible Architecture