Tip-to-tail thermal modeling and simulation demonstrates how integrated systems affect each other's individual performance. (AFRL image) Tip-to-Tail M&S ReINVENTs the Future of Aircraft Energy Optimization by Thomas Brown Propulsion 9/14/2010 - WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio -- As part of Air Force Research Laboratory's Integrated Vehicle and Energy Technology initiative, propulsion scientists demonstrated the first-ever practical application of aircraft tip-to-tail integrated thermal modeling and simulation. The tip-to-tail M&S approach enables researchers to understand how the integration of various air vehicle systems, fuel thermal management systems, engine systems, and adaptive power/thermal management systems can affect the respective performance of each individual system. A primary objective of AFRL's Modeling Simulation and Test facility, where the recent demonstration occurred, is to provide researchers a capability for analyzing future energy-optimized aircraft architectures in an integrated operating environment.  By simulating the concurrent operation of multiple systems throughout a full mission-profile range, researchers can establish a performance baseline for a given aircraft system's effectiveness. Simulations can then apply variations to system performance in order to investigate the effects of design trade-offs and the potential for performance improvements.