Automatic Ground Collision Avoidance System Design for Pre-Block 40 F-16 Configurations

Abstract

The Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) with support from the Office of Secretary of Defense (OSD) has undertaken a program to develop the Automatic Ground Collision Avoidance System (Auto GCAS) to reduce the number of fighter aircraft lost due to Controlled Flight into Terrain (CFIT) accidents. Currently, automated control concepts, such as Auto GCAS, cannot be implemented onto early model F-16s with analog flight control systems. AFRL has initiated a new phase of the Auto GCAS program to find a technical solution that will enable the integration of Auto GCAS onto pre-Block 40 F16s. The project has developed an innovative and affordable solution where redundant digital processor modules are added to the analog flight control computer without affecting the existing analog modules resulting in a hybrid digital/analog flight control architecture. This architecture provides a technical path forward for incorporating advanced automated capabilities onto pre-Block 40 F-16s. This paper will provide a description of Auto GCAS, discuss the modifications required to integrate Auto GCAS onto F-16s with analog flight control systems, review the current status of the Analog Auto GCAS program and discuss other advanced automated capabilities that are enabled by the hybrid flight control architecture concept.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Nov 01, 2012
Accession Number
ADA583778

Entities

People

  • Amy C. Burns
  • Donald E. Swihart
  • Edward M. Griffin
  • James M. Bier
  • Kerianne L. Hobbs
  • Russell M. Turner
  • Shawn C. Whitcomb

Organizations

  • Air Force Research Laboratory

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Air Platforms
  • Space

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Accidents
  • Air Force
  • Airborne Collision Avoidance Systems
  • Aircrafts
  • Altitude
  • Automatic
  • Collision Avoidance
  • Collision Avoidance Systems
  • Collisions
  • Computers
  • Control Systems
  • Energy Management
  • Fighter Aircraft
  • Flight Control Systems
  • Navigation
  • Two Dimensional
  • Warning Systems

Readers

  • Aerospace Engineering
  • Computer Science/Computer Engineering/Data Science/Digital Signal Processing.
  • Robotics and Automation.