Wednesday, February 10, 2010

X-55A Boosting Composite Cargo Aircraft Design

X-55A Boosting Composite Cargo Aircraft Design: "In June, Air Force Research Laboratory and Lockheed Martin completed the first flight demonstration of the Advanced Composite Cargo Aircraft. The success of this event prompted official Headquarters Air Force designation of the ACCA as the X-55A, effective in October.
The initial flight focused on establishing basic handling qualities, as well as monitoring structural performance and response to load maneuvering--assessments relying on a network of approximately 600 sensors (strain gauges and accelerometers) integrated within the airframe.
Following this preliminary demonstration, the aircraft flew twice more, in July and August flight events geared towards expanding the maneuvering envelope and recording external aerodynamic flow visualization"