1994 F-16 MATV Team

SOCIETY OF FLIGHT TEST ENGINEERS
KELLY JOHNSON AWARD
F-16 MULTI AXIS THRUST VECTORING FLIGHT TEST TEAM

The winner of the 1994 "Kelly" Johnson Award for Outstanding Achievement in the field of Flight Test Engineering is the F-16 Multi-Axis Thrust Vectoring (MATV) Flight Test Team. This team of engineers, pilots, and technicians from General Electric, Lockheed, and the USAF, successfully evaluated and demonstrated the tactical utility of thrust vectoring with a feasible, integrated, thrust vectoring system.

Development of thrust vectoring for fighter aircraft has been pursued for many years, but to date there have been few actual flight demonstrations of the tactical utility of thrust vectoring. The technical benefits of thrust vectoring to aircraft stability, control, and handling qualities have been analyzed and demonstrated in several other simulation and flight test programs. However, only a few of these programs have actually performed tactical scenarios due to limitations in hardware or program scope.

The MATV system was designed to provide significant operational enhancements for the F-16. This system integrated pitch and yaw thrust vectoring into an F-16 equipped with a modified, production, digital flight control system.

The primary objective of the F-16 MATV test team was to evaluate the tactical utility benefits of thrust vectoring. Other objectives included:

• Demonstration of integrated flight control and thrust vectoring technologies.
• Assessment of flying qualities and maneuver performance of the F-16 MATV aircraft in an expanded maneuver envelope.
• Assessment of the operability of the F110-GE-100 engine in the high AOA flight regime.
• Assessment of the display and cue requirements for the pilot during tactical post stall maneuvering.

The F-16 MATV test team demonstrated significant increases in F-16 air-to-air maneuver capability by expanding the usable F-16 flight envelope from the current 26 degrees AOA to beyond 80 degrees including a record stabilized AOA of 83 degrees. This expansion included unrestricted dynamic maneuvering beyond 125 degrees AOA with no pilot restrictions required.

The F-16 MATV test program progressed from first flight to an unlimited AOA and restriction-free flight envelope in just over ten weeks. This progress was achieved safely while satisfying the stated flight test objectives. The MATV team accomplished this by a unique combination of test planning methods and techniques:

• Questioning decisions, regarding programmatics, design, test, or reviews, which were solely based on business as usual, using existing designs, mechanizations, hardware, and software whenever possible.
• Forming a small, integrated test team of prime contractor, principal subcontractor, government sponsor, and responsible test organization which agreed from the beginning to be a team committed to common goals and objectives.
• Using high-fidelity handling qualities simulations and modeling extensively during the initial stages of the program to develop flight test maneuvers and techniques and to train pilots and engineers.
• Focusing the test planning and flight test conduct on acceptability of results rather than stated tolerances from predicted results. More often than not acceptability was a qualitative conclusion by the pilots or engineers.
• Opening discussion with all of the other high AOA test programs, either recently completed or ongoing, who were willing to share their experiences with the test team.
• Using pilot selectable gain sets and control law structures in flight to speed development testing.

In addition, the development phase initially identified degraded flying qualities in the 35 to 50 degree AOA range. Extensively revised flight control laws were generated and cleared in the flight envelope within five weeks of identification. This was done by using pilot-selectable flight control system gains and by obtaining a real-time assessment of the aircraft's handling qualities using engineering as well as pilot inputs. This quick resolution eliminated any aircraft limitations, allowing carefree operation during the tactical evaluation phase.

Over 100 tactical engagements were initially flown by the test team in development of tactics and maneuvers prior to the actual operational assessment phase. Compare this to the typical air-to-air training flight for fighter pilots of perhaps 3 to 5 engagements.

For the tactical evaluation, operational pilots from the 422nd Test and Evaluation Squadron (TES) were integrated into the test team early in the planning stages and eventually flew a total of 116 tactical engagements. These engagements were no-holds-barred, air-to-air dogfights in one vs. one and one vs. two fighter engagement scenarios against F-16, F-18, and F-15 aircraft. The
results of these evaluations showed a definite benefit of thrust vectoring technologies that will be applied to future aircraft, such as the F-22, as well as to possible retrofits to the F-16 and other current tactical aircraft.

Also, sixteen demonstration flights were given to key decision makers to provide them with an awareness of the tactical benefits of thrust vectoring. Those who flew demonstration flights included officers form the USAF and USN involved in current thrust vectoring development programs for experimental aircraft and the F-22.

1993 F-16 MATV Program Milestones:

• First Flight - 2 July
• First Nozzle Vectoring - 30 July
• Max stabilized AOA of 83 deg. AOA - 3 Sept.
• Initial Envelope Expansion Complete to beyond 125 deg. AOA .17 Sept.
• Revised Control Laws Developed and Cleared in Flight - 29 Oct.
• Operational Assessment Begins - 9 Nov.
• First 1 vs. 1 Dissimilar Aircraft Engagement (vs. F-18) - 15 Nov.
• First 1 vs. 2 Engagement - 16 Nov.
• Tactical Utility Evaluation Complete - 10 Dec.

Although this award is for the MAT'V flight test team, the success of this program obviously reflects the hard work, dedicated efforts, and superior workmanship of the design teams from General Electric (GE) and Lockheed Fort Worth Company (LFWC), as well as the many mechanics and technicians who produced, maintained, and performed troubleshooting and maintenance of the prototype systems during development and test. In addition, program direction was provided by Wright Laboratory from Wright-Patterson AFB.