Case Studies - Defence

A new flight control system, pioneered by QinetiQ, has been accepted for the Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter and looks set to revolutionise the way the aircraft operates. The breakthrough means reduced pilot workloads, increased safety, reduced training times and ease of operation. There will also be sizeable cost savings over the operating life of the aircraft.

Historically, STOVL aircraft have been demanding of pilot skills, leading to considerable constraints on pilot recruitment and extra demands on training. The MOD has had a long-running research programme with QinetiQ to address these issues.

Lockheed Martin's supersonic F-35 Joint Strike Fighter is a family of stealthy, next-generation replacement strike fighter aircraft for the US Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps, the UK Royal Navy and Royal Air Force, and allied nations worldwide.

This new integrated flight and propulsion control system (IFPCS) marks a significant change in the flying concept of short take-off and vertical landing (STOVL) aircraft. The technology essentially means that the pilot, when taking off or landing, only has to concentrate on longitudinal and vertical components on the aircraft's flight path, leaving the software to control the transition to and from jet-borne flight.

Pilots currently have to manage the aircraft's nozzle setting, elevator controls and throttle, often under highly adverse weather conditions or at night, an area where there is a high potential for cognitive failures.

The simplicity of the new system was aptly demonstrated when a pilot with no previous fast jet experience, safely landed a STOVL aircraft unaided - a feat unimaginable before.

Andrew Sleigh, Managing Director for QinetiQ Defence Solutions, said:

"This new capability will give both the Royal Navy and RAF, when they take delivery of the JSF from 2011 onwards, the ability to maximise the full potential of the aircraft at all times whatever the conditions."

The selection of the QinetiQ IFPCS is being hailed as a major example of US-UK technology-sharing within the increasingly international framework of the JSF development programme.
QinetiQ is also developing a system that allows a STOVL aircraft to land automatically (without any pilot input) on an aircraft carrier from a distance of up to 100 nautical miles, regardless of weather conditions.