Coursework Content

With guidance from the instructor, students conduct a mock market survey. Stu­dents generate a bar chart (i. e., Gantt) to monitor progress during the semester. The remainder of the chapter is recommended easy reading. The coursework activ­ity begins in Section 2.6 with a mock market survey to generate aircraft specifica­tions and requirements and helps students understand its importance in the success or failure of a product.

1.2 Introduction

Existing aircraft indicate how the market is served and should indicate what is needed for the future. Various aircraft have been designed, and new designs should perform better than any existing designs. Designers are obligated to search for proven advanced technologies that emerge. There could be more than one option so the design team must conduct trade-off studies to arrive at a “satisfying” design that will satisfy the customer. Economy and safety are possibly the strongest drivers

in commercial transport. Aircraft design drivers for combat are performance capa­bility and survivability (i. e., safety).

Despite organizational differences that exist among countries, one thing is com­mon to all: namely, the constraint that the product must be “fit for the purpose.” It is interesting to observe that organizational structures in the East and the West are beginning to converge in their approach to aircraft design. The West is replacing its vertically integrated setup with a major investor master company in the integrat­ing role along with risk-sharing partners. Since the fall of communism in Eastern Europe, the socialist bloc is also moving away from specialist activities to an inte­grated environment with risk-sharing partners. Stringent accountability has led the West to move away from vertical integration – in which the design and manufacture of every component were done under one roof – to outsourcing design packages to specialist companies. The change was inevitable – and it has resulted in better products and profitability, despite increased logistical activities.

The aircraft design process is now set in rigorous methodology, and there is considerable caution in the approach due to the high level of investment required. The process is substantially front-loaded, even before the project go-ahead is given. In this chapter, generic and typical aircraft design phases are described as prac­ticed in the industry, which includes market surveys and airworthiness require­ments. A product must comply with regulatory requirements, whether in civil or military applications. New designers must realize from the beginning the importance of meeting mandatory design requirements imposed by the certifying authorities.

Exceeding budgetary provisions is not uncommon. Military aircraft projects undergo significant technical challenges to meet time and cost frames; in addition, there could be other constraints. (The “gestation” period of the Eurofighter project has taken nearly two decades. An even more extreme example is the Indian Light Combat Aircraft, which spanned nearly three decades and is yet to be operational; the original specifications already may be obsolete.) Some fighter aircraft projects have been canceled after the prototype aircraft was built (e. g., the Northrop F20 Tigershark and the BAC TSR2). A good design organization must have the courage to abandon concepts that are outdated and mediocre. The design of combat aircraft cannot be compromised because of national pride; rather, a nation can learn from mistakes and then progress step-by-step to a better future.