#AgilePOD

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[usafphantom2]

‘Have STRAINger Things’: AgilePod Meets Fiber Optic Sensing at Edwards AFB

United States Air Force Test Pilot School partnered with the 586th Flight Test Squadron at Holloman AFB and NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center to test the new use case of the AgilePod using a T-38C.

David Cenciotti

AgilePod

A T-38C with an attached AgilePod flown by Steven Ross, Air Force Test Pilot School Flight Sciences Technical Expert and Instructor Test Pilot, conducts a flight test in the skies over Southern California. (Courtesy photo)

The United States Air Force Test Pilot School’s research division, in collaboration with the 586th Flight Test Squadron at Holloman AFB and NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center, recently conducted a flight test campaign to validate the use of the new AgilePod. Named “Have STRAINger Things,” the tests demonstrated AgilePod’s effectiveness for rapid airborne experimentation, reducing traditional lead times and costs in flight-testing.

The name “Have STRAINger Things” is inspired by the popular Netflix series “Stranger Things.” This clever play on words ties the name of the test campaign to the concept of strain sensors being used in the research, emphasizing both the novelty and the technical nature of the project.

While traditional copper straining has been used for flight test instrumentation since the 1930s, it requires significant time and effort to install resistive strain sensors on aircraft. NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center developed a unique Fiber Optic Sensing System (FOSS) that uses dedicated fiber optic strain sensors and provides critical data points more efficiently.

According to the USAF, the proximity of Air Force Test Pilot School and NASA AFRC at Edwards facilitated daily discussions about testing the FOSS system airborne. Simultaneously, the 586th FLTS, part of the Arnold Engineering and Development Complex in Tennessee, advanced their AgilePod Lab, enabling quick-turn capability for carrying special payloads for data evaluation. A trilateral agreement was formed, benefiting all parties involved in the test.

“The 586th FLTS is unique among flight test squadrons as we don’t just support one platform like the F-35 or B-2,” noted Capt. Nathaniel Raquet in a public release. “Our primary goal within AFTC is to support rapid experimentation and prototyping. This project also allowed us to test and utilize the new AgilePod Lab, paving the way for serving a variety of future customers.”

Allen Parker, NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center Fiber Optic Sensing System engineer, explains the AgilePod’s capabilities to Air Force Test Pilot School staff, while David Brown, 586th Flight Test Squadron, makes modifications to the pod. (Courtesy photo)

Strain sensors are typically used in load, buffet, and fatigue testing of new aircraft or in certifying new stores on existing aircraft. Stress and strain at critical aircraft and pylon/wing-mount structure points are measured to analyze the response to control deflections from the pilot or flight control system.

New aircraft designs often include thousands of resistive strain gauges, each requiring two electrical connections, signal conditioning, and data recording. This setup adds weight and limits the utility of test aircraft for other flight tests. In contrast, fiber optic strain sensors offer increased sensing bandwidth, electromagnetic interference compatibility, and the ability to apply multiple sensors to a single fiber.

Using the AgilePod mounted on a T-38C, the campaign included six test flights combining engineering flight test techniques with two primary experiments. The first compared fiber optic strain sensors to legacy resistive strain sensors. Both types were installed on a simple cantilever beam weighted on one end. By inducing controlled deflection/strain through aircraft maneuvers, the test team verified sensor performance. Additional fiber optic sensors were added to the AgilePod’s structure to test FOSS for future aeroacoustics and environmental tests, despite lacking reference sensors for comparison.

The AgilePod, available in various form factors, enables rapid integration of new technologies onto existing certified platforms. This innovation streamlines what used to be a lengthy process, eliminating the need for developers of novel airborne data and communications systems to engage with multiple aircraft procurement and sustainment offices and design custom packaging solutions. Previously, this integration process could take 5 to 7 years before initial testing on a single aircraft type.

Successful campaign execution will guide further instrumentation using fiber optic strain sensors for flight tests and other applications.

“Without the partnership between NASA with FOSS and the 586th FLTS with AgilePod, we would have had to allocate significant budget and physically modify a T-38 aircraft for sensor installation,” said Wei Lee, Director of Research for the Air Force Test Pilot School. “This unique partnership exemplifies how technology rapidly improves flight test execution, ultimately providing new capabilities to both warfighters and commercial customers faster.”

AgilePod

The U.S. Air Force has been working on a family of AgilePods of different sizes for several years now. In 2018, the program ran by the AFRL Sensors Directorate Blue Guardian team completed inflight testing of a mini-AgilePod on a DC-3, Textron Scorpion, and MQ-9 Reaper.

The Air Force Research Laboratory’s AgilePod is shown mounted on the wing of the Textron Aviation Defense’s Scorpion Light Attack/ISR jet. A fit check in late December 2017 provided an opportunity to demonstrate the ability of the pod to rapidly integrate onto a new platform with short notice, highlighting the benefits of Sensor Open Systems Architecture. (Air Force photo by David Dixon/released)

More recently, we reported about the use of the AgilePod-26 for to test advanced communications capabilities on the B-52 as part of the TENTaCLE (Tactical Edge Network Targeting in a Contested Long-Range Environment) program.

B-52 AgilePod

The AgilePod-26 carried by a U.S. Air Force B-52H during a ground test. (Image credit: Jacobs)

Generally speaking, the AgilePod is an Air Force-trademarked, multi-intelligence reconfigurable pod that enables flight-line operators to customize sensor packages based on specific mission needs.

The AgilePod, available in various form factors, enables rapid integration of new technologies onto existing certified platforms. This innovation streamlines what used to be a lengthy process, eliminating the need for developers of novel airborne data and communications systems to engage with multiple aircraft procurement and sustainment offices and design custom packaging solutions. Previously, this integration process could take 5 to 7 years before initial testing on a single aircraft type.

About David Cenciotti

David Cenciotti is a journalist based in Rome, Italy. He is the Founder and Editor of “The Aviationist”, one of the world’s most famous and read military aviation blogs. Since 1996, he has written for major worldwide magazines, including Air Forces Monthly, Combat Aircraft, and many others, covering aviation, defense, war, industry, intelligence, crime and cyberwar. He has reported from the U.S., Europe, Australia and Syria, and flown several combat planes with different air forces. He is a former 2nd Lt. of the Italian Air Force, a private pilot and a graduate in Computer Engineering. He has written five books and contributed to many more ones

@TheAviationist.com

[nelc]

UTC Aerospace Systems' Agile Pod

AgilePod is a "lego-like" system that can consist of between three and five individual sections, each of which is able to house a different sensor system.

[topskynews]

யுஎஸ்ஏஎஃப் சென்சிங் கிரிட் கருத்துக்கு சிறிய, அதிக இயங்கக்கூடிய சென்சார்கள் தேவை

11 ஏப்ரல் 2023 கார்லோ முனோஸ் மூலம் விமானப்படை ஆராய்ச்சி ஆய்வகத்தின் அஜில்பாட் ஸ்கார்பியன் லைட் அட்டாக்/ஐஎஸ்ஆர் ஜெட் விமானத்தின் இறக்கையில் பொருத்தப்பட்டுள்ளது. சேவையின் உணர்திறன் கட்டம் கருத்தை அதிகரிக்க, AgilePod போன்ற சிறிய, குறைந்த-SWaP சென்சார்களை உருவாக்க USAF எதிர்பார்க்கிறது. (விமானப்படை ஆராய்ச்சி ஆய்வகம்) அமெரிக்க விமானப்படை (USAF) விலையுயர்ந்த, மிகவும் வடிவமைக்கப்பட்ட நுண்ணறிவு,…

[defpost]

Jacobs Completes Test Campaign of KeyRadar in AgilePod

#Jacobs completes test campaign of #KeyRadar in #AgilePod.

Jacobs achieved an important milestone in the completion of a rigorous flight campaign with the U.S. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center for certification of Jacobs’ newest version of its proprietary KeyRadar product in an aerial system pod called AgilePod.

The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center certified the airworthiness of the pod for flight testing on commercially operated aircraft…

[militaryleak]

US Air Force Research Laboratory Tests New Precision, Navigation and Timing (PNT) Concept

US Air Force Research Laboratory Tests New Precision, Navigation and Timing (PNT) Concept #military #defense #defence #usairforce

The U.S. Air Force Strategic Development Planning & Experimentation Office, alongside the Naval Surface Warfare Center took steps forward in April toward making the Air Force’s new Precision, Navigation and Timing (PNT) concept of operations a reality as it demonstrated fused PNT technologies within an Agilepod during six successful Phase I sorties on an airborne testbed in Centennial, Colorado,…

[georgemcginn]

U.S. Department of Defense Armed With Science Update

U.S. Department of Defense Armed With Science Update

You are subscribed to Armed With Science for U.S. Department of Defense. This information has recently been updated, and is now available.

Game-Changing Air Force Innovation Takes Flight 07/13/2017 07:00 AM CDT

The Air Force is testing AgilePod, the first fully government-owned, multi-intelligence, reconfigurable pod that’s capable of supporting rapid integration and mission agility to address…

[rplatt101]

The USAF Tested an Advanced, Modular Sensor Pod on a Vintage Airliner

See on Scoop.it - Internet of Things - Technology focus

Private contractors use a DC-3 to give the service's engineers a

Richard Platt's insight:

U.S. Air Force is testing a state-of-the-art sensor package, called AgilePod, which it hopes will ultimately offer all-new capabilities for surveillance aircraft and drones, such as the MQ-9 Reaper. But the service picked a decidedly less advanced platform for the initial flight tests, the venerable Douglas DC-3.

[eannewsorg-blog]

USAF DC-3 Aircraft Tests Upgraded Weapons ‘Pod’ for Reaper Drones

USAF DC-3 Aircraft Tests Upgraded Weapons ‘Pod’ for Reaper Drones

© AP Photo/ Eric GayWASHINGTON (Sputnik) — A year of research has ended with a series of demonstrations on DC-3 aircraft of a modular system for the Reaper drone with multiple, interchangeable sensor systems, the US Air Force announced in a press release on Thursday. "AgilePod is a game-changer," Air Force Research Lab Sensors Directorate Program Manager Capt. Russell Shirey said. "This is a…

[usafphantom2]

USAF research laboratory tests GPS-independent AgilePod

Fernando Valduga By Fernando Valduga 12/16/2021 - 4:00 pm in Military

An AgilePod installed under a USAF T-38C during tests conducted in November. (Photo: AFRL)

An AgilePod installed under a USAF T-38C during tests conducted in November. (Photo: AFRL)

The AgilePod prototype of complementary position, navigation and time (PNT) of the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory achieved three important objectives in flight tests conducted from November 1 to 10.

The test team successfully performed eight crashes aboard a T-38C aircraft, which included the first test of the AgilePod PNT on a dynamic high-range platform, the first fully remote interface test and alt-PNT data transmission, and the first demonstration of ground/water transition performance.

Maj. Andrew Cottle, from the Air Force Strategic Planning and Experimentation (SDPE) office, said that PNT AgilePod is a platform that helps develop advanced navigation technology independent of GPS. This technology provides reliable and resilient position, navigation and timing signals by alternative means - increasing mission effectiveness in scenarios where GPS access is not guaranteed.

[defpost]

Leidos completes testing of USAF's AgilePod multi-sensor platform

Leidos completes testing of USAF’s AgilePod multi-sensor platform

Leidos recently completed testing of sensor systems on the U.S. Air Force’s AgilePod multi-sensor platform, the company announced.

Leidos led AgilePod’s design, integration and flight demonstration to showcase its open, flexible and scalable intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities.

AgilePod™ was built to accommodate and integrate multiple sensors onto operational…

[usafphantom2]

AgilePods are composed of a series of compartments and can be configured to meet a wide variety of mission requirements for many aircraft platforms. Experiencers can fill the spaces with plug-and-play sensors they need for a mission - high-definition video, electro-optical and infrared sensors and devices with other features - including PNT.

Cottle said that November tests brought PNT AgilePod closer to its final transition goals. “We learned how AgilePod can be integrated and operated in a representative high-performance military fuselage,” Cottle said.

The results of the November flights will inform the short-term planning for the transition objectives of AF22 / 23 to meet the requirements of the Pacific Air Forces (PACAF) and the Air Force Global Attack Command (AFGSC) for robust PNT and Navigation War (NAVWAR), as well as Combat Command Requirements (ACC) for resilient unmanned aerial system (UAS) navigation.

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Tags: AFRLAgilePodMilitary AviationT-38C TalonUSAF - United States Air Force / US Air Force

Fernando Valduga

Cavok Brazil - Digital Tchê Web Creation