Msg : 548 of 2989 Scn

From : Leo V. Mironoff 2:5020/293 Sat 19 Aug 95 23:26

To : All Sun 20 Aug 95 22:34

Subj : HIMAT

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Hello All!

Картинка, вроде, тоже была - сейчас поищу...

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HiMAT (Highly Maneuverable Aircraft Technology)

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The HiMAT (Highly Maneuverable Aircraft Technology) subscale research

vehicles flown by the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center from mid 1979 to

Jan. 1983 demonstrated advanced fighter aircraft technologies that could be

used in the development of future high-performance military aircraft.

Two vehicles were used in the research program conducted jointly by NASA

and the Air Force Flight Dynamics Laboratory, Wright-Patterson AFB, OH.

They provided data on the use of composites, aeroelastic tailoring,

close-coupled canards, and winglets, and they investigated the interaction

of these then-new technologies upon each other.

The two vehicles were flown a total of 26 times during the three and

one-half year program.

HiMAT Design

Designed with rear mounted swept wings and a forward controllable canard

coupled to the flight control system, the HiMAT vehicles had twice the

turning capability of military fighters.

About 30 percent of the materials used to build each HiMAT were composites.

These materials -- glass fibers and graphites -- gave the structures

additional strength for increased maneuverability and high "G" loads

encountered during their flights.

About one-half the size of a standard manned fighter and powered by a small

jet engine, the HiMAT vehicles were launched from NASA's B-52 carrier

aircraft at an altitude of about 45,000 ft. They were flown remotely by a

NASA research pilot from a ground station with the aid of a television

camera mounted in the HiMAT cockpits. When the research portion of a HiMAT

flight ended, the vehicle was landed remotely on the dry lakebed adjacent

to Dryden.

Flown Remotely

Control techniques used by pilots at the ground-based cockpit to fly the

HiMATs were much the same as those used to fly and land a conventional

manned aircraft.

The HiMATs were flown remotely because it was an established safe way to

test advanced technologies without subjecting a pilot to a high-risk

environment. Remotely Piloted Research Vehicles (RPRVs) like HiMAT could

also be flown more economically than larger manned vehicles.

Each HiMAT had a digital fly-by-wire control system. Pilot commands were

fed to an on-board computer which sent electrical commands to the flight

control surfaces.

The vehicles were 22 ft long and had a wing span of just under 16 ft. They

weighed 3,400 lb at launch, and were powered by a General Electric J-85

turbojet producing 5,000 lb of thrust.

The supersonic research vehicles had a top speed of Mach 1.4.

HiMAT Technologies

Technologies tested on the HiMAT vehicles appearing later on other aircraft

include the extensive use of composites common now on military and

commerical aircraft; the rear-mounted wing and forward canard configuration

used very successfully on the X-29 research aircraft flown at Dryden; and

winglets, now used on many private and commercial aircraft to lessen

wingtip drag and enhance fuel savings.

One of the two HiMAT vehicles is at Dryden. The other belongs to the

National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC.

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[Image: Dryden EAO Logo Icon]

Don Nolan

NASA Dryden Flight Research Center

Edwards, Calif. 93523

(805) 258-3447

[email protected]

Modified: February 2, 1994

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:), Leo

--- [email protected]

* Origin: - The Endless Quest - (2:5020/293)