Miniature Air Launched Decoy May Get Fuselage Facelift

  • Published
  • By Lt. Ryan Thompson
  • Materials and Manufacturing
WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio --  Air Force Research Laboratory scientists are characterizing the use of Shape Memory Polymer Mandrels (SMPMs) to produce a piece of fuselage for the Miniature Air Launched Decoy (MALD), a low-cost, air-launched, programmable craft that accurately duplicates combat flight profiles and signatures of U.S. and allied aircraft.

This research gives Department of Defense and aerospace system manufacturers a better understanding of SMPM and non-autoclave composite technology development processes and limitations. AFRL expects to reduce the risks and costs associated with the MALD and reduce production cycle times to allow faster delivery to the field. Researchers also expect advancements in this technology to offer benefits such as faster fabrication, a simple extraction process, and an improved internal surface finish in the production of other unmanned aerial systems and armament systems.

The MALD is a technology designed to protect valuable Air Force aircraft, offering counter air operations to neutralize air defense systems that pose a threat to U.S. and allied pilots. During this 15-month project, Universal Technologies Corporation and Raytheon Missile Systems will assist Cobham Composites in planning and conducting test fabrication runs for an SMPM application on the MALD fuselage.

To date, processing trials have demonstrated that this technology is capable of producing a MALD fuselage that is a relatively large (approximately 10 feet in length) and has complex geometry (not a round cross section). The long-term manufacturing characteristics of the process, however, are not well understood. For example, the effective life cycle of each mandrel (how many times it can be reformed), and what impact pressure and temperature extremes have on the mandrel and composite laminate over multiple reuses, remain unknown. As a result, the current process carries an inherent risk that long-term pricing assumptions may be inaccurate, and additional technical risks may surface.

Test planners are using a Design of Experiments approach, focused on identifying and measuring the effects and interactions of all key parameters related to SMPM characteristics and performance while in production. Researchers will also determine life-span expectations for SMPM and determine the technology's life span in relationship to the frequency of mandrel usage. Based on the results, areas with the potential for further testing will be exploited and future test activity planning will occur.
When testing is completed, Cobham Composites and AFRL will conduct an assessment; if the results are favorable, the technology will be incorporated in the production of MALD fuselage structures.