by Second Lt. Matt Duncan, TPS Tech Support Division

The USAF Test Pilot School at Edwards AFB, California, working closely with the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the Air Force Institute of Technology’s Graduate School of Engineering and Management, reached an important milestone during the first flight of the RASCAL pod. Developed as an innovative research vehicle to allow joint AFIT/TPS students to transition exciting new technology to the rigors of a dynamic flight environment, the Reconfigurable Airborne Sensor, Communication and Laser pod prototype is the first of a fleet of four such pods currently under construction at the Air Force Flight Test Center at Edwards.

USAF TPS is unique from sister service test pilot schools due to their capstone test management projects, affectionately known as TMPs by staff and students. Each TMP is a compact, short-duration, “real-world” flight test planning, execution, and reporting team exercise that is traditionally led by joint AFIT/TPS students while attending the Test Pilot School portion of the program. The RASCAL pods are expected to be employed in as many as half of future AFIT/TPS TMP projects.

The RASCAL pod concept of operation was initially conceived by Lt. Col. Adam MacDonald and Dr. Stephen C. Cain while completing research on airborne laser radar systems operating through difficult atmospheric turbulence conditions. Says Col. MacDonald, “After working with the Air Force Institute of Technology and Air Force Research Labs, I realized that there exists a huge chasm between the introduction of a new lab technology and actual flight test for in-flight demonstration.” After earning his PhD in Electrical Engineering from AFIT, Col. MacDonald was assigned as Director of Education at TPS, where he led a team of aeronautical, electrical, and mechanical engineers and technicians at TPS and the AFFTC during the development of the RASCAL prototype pod.

“By the summer of 2009, TPS will have a fleet of four RASCAL pod systems that will enable AFIT to easily take delivery of a pod and integrate critical research technology into a flight worthy vehicle. By combining the need for TPS to educate test pilots, navigators, and engineers with the need for agencies such as AFRL to rapidly transition cutting edge technology to the warfighter, the RASCAL pod will demonstrate utility to the greater Air Force well into the future,” Col. MacDonald predicts.

According Dr. Steve Cain, Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering at AFIT, the prototype pod was designed and constructed with an eye towards future 2-D and 3-D laser radar research. “The RASCAL pod system provides AFIT with an important research tool that will enable Air Force scientists and engineers real-world opportunities only imaginable in the past,” he says. “For example, hosting airborne imaging technology such as 3-D laser radar will facilitate critical experiments that include real-time atmospheric characterization and provide enabling technology for important programs including automatic refueling boom tracking during in-flight refueling of unmanned autonomous air vehicles.”

Initial funding for conceptual design of the RASCAL pod was provided by an AFIT Emerging Thrust proposal won by Dr. Cain, as well as funding provided by Dr. John Raquet and Lt. Col. Mike Veth of the AFIT Advanced Navigation Technology Center. From there, it wasn’t a difficult sell to TPS and AFFTC leadership. Col. MacDonald notes that “it was a true team effort by the outstanding academic talent of AFIT and TPS, combined by the unique talents provided by the Engineering and Maintenance Divisions of the 412^th Test Wing at Edwards AFB.”

Lt. Col. Mike Shepherd, Director of Technical Support at TPS, is excited about the lean process that the RASCAL system provides. “We can quickly populate the RASCAL pods with up to 100 pounds of relatively low maturity research equipment. Best of all, we can integrate novel technology for flight test without taking aircraft down for expensive and time-consuming instrumentation modifications – the RASCAL is cleared for flight aboard any of our fleet support F-16 aircraft with absolutely zero modification effort.”

“The first flight of the RASCAL demonstrates the outstanding transfer of knowledge that occurs at TPS and provides an example of our vision of being the world’s premier educational and training center of excellence for theoretical and applied flight test engineering,” notes Col. Mike Luallen, TPS Commandant. “Not only is TPS now equipped with a powerful tool to provide first-class TMP education, but we’ve exposed our entire design and analysis team to the processes and techniques required to bring this concept to reality.”

As an example, newly assigned TPS military engineers cut their teeth by providing detailed structural and aerodynamic analyses to the Air Force SEEK EAGLE Office at Eglin AFB, which maintains responsibility for flight clearance of all new aircraft stores. According to Second Lt. Eric Basset, “The RASCAL pod was particularly challenging to model mathematically, due to the large number of internal components and the desired flight envelope for pod operation. We’ve been able to conduct the required aero and mechanical analysis using finite element and computational flow techniques to clear the pod to 1.2 Mach and up to 7.3 Gs at altitudes from sea level up to 50 thousand feet.”

The actual flight test of RASCAL was planned and executed by students of TPS Class 08A in support of their own TMP. Test team lead Capt. David Kern, who conducted the flawless test flights to elevated loading and airspeed limits, noted that “The RASCAL project provided my team with an outstanding opportunity to gain real-world flight test experience under challenging test conditions. We conducted flight testing extremely close to the limits established by the SEEK EAGLE office. The pod held up great through all phases of the flight test.”

Further flight testing will be conducted in March 2009 by TPS Class 08B after installation of an improved lower window assembly and cutting-edge 3-D Flash Laser Radar. The incorporation of remote 3-D measurement technology into the warfighter inventory promises to revolutionize the way planners prepare for and conduct operations in unfamiliar territory, such as tightly space urban environments. Says Col. MacDonald, “The integration and flight test of the newly developed 3-D laser radar provides a wonderful opportunity for TPS to rapidly accelerate the transition of intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance and targeting technology to the frontlines in Iraq and Afghanistan.”