Contract Requires Construction And Evaluation Of Training
Aircraft
Wyle has signed an agreement with the Air Force Research
Laboratory (AFRL) to develop formal training courses for flight and
sensor operators. The agreement is designed to enhance the
proficiency and competence of AFRL small UAS flight operations to
minimize mishaps.
Wyle and AFRL at Wright-Patterson AFB in Dayton, OH will develop
and validate detailed training, operations and related
documentation for a radio-controlled aircraft system to support DoD
and other Federal agency intelligence, surveillance and
reconnaissance, and force protection missions.
"The objective of the agreement is to develop a commercial
version of the AFRL small unmanned aircraft system for potential
certification by the FAA in the experimental aircraft category,"
said Sam Carbaugh, who has led the project for Wyle. "This will
assist in enabling both government and civilian use of small
unmanned aircraft for research and development, flight
demonstrations and aircrew training."
The agreement transfers government aircraft technology directly
to Wyle, enabling the company to provide training and cost-saving
benefits to the Air Force. Development of a commercial small
unmanned aircraft systems training course will also allow AFRL
personnel to receive small UAS flight qualification training during
the course development phases and to obtain flight training on an
as-needed basis without using limited and valuable research
aircraft.
"Once we’ve proven our work with AFRL, Wyle plans to offer
the training to other DoD operations, government agencies and
contractors," said Carbaugh. "As the military and other government
agencies move towards more use of unmanned aircraft, there is a
growing need for an adequate training program."
To support the training portions of the program, Wyle will build
and operate two aircraft, each weighing approximately 20 pounds
with a wing span of approximately six feet. The aircraft are
significantly modified versions of a common model radio controlled
aircraft which AFRL uses for various sensor and flight control
research projects.
File Photo of UAS
The aircraft will be operated by a ground control unit with
operator controls and a laptop computer which will program the
aircraft and record operational data. An optical camera system will
be installed as a sensor system.
Adaptation of commercially available hobby aircraft with
advanced navigation, communications and computer flight controls
for use in aviation sensor technology research has resulted in
various configurations of aircraft that have proven reliable and
useful. Wyle will evaluate these variants to select a configuration
suitable for the formal training of operators, observers and
payload controllers.
Wyle is a leading provider of high tech aerospace engineering
and information technology services to the federal government on
long-term outsourcing contracts. The company also provides
biomedical and engineering services for NASA’s human space
missions; test and evaluation of aircraft, weapon systems,
networks, and other government assets; and other engineering
services to the aerospace, defense, and nuclear power
industries.