Aerodynamic design of an electronics pod to maximise its carriage envelope on a fast-jet aircraft

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to reshape a fast-jet electronics pod’s external geometry to ensure compliance with aircraft pylon load limits across its carriage envelope while adhering to onboard system constraints and fitment specifications. Design/methodology/approach Initial geometric layout determination used empirical methods. Performance approximation on the aircraft with added fairings and stabilising fin configurations was conducted using a panel code. Verification of loads was done using a full steady Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes solver, validated against published wind tunnel test data. Acceptable load envelope for the aircraft pylon was defined using two already-certified stores with known flight envelopes. Findings Re-lofting the pod’s geometry enabled meeting all geometric and pylon load constraints. However, due to the pod's large size, re-lofting alone was not adequate to respect aircraft/pylon load limitations. A flight restriction was imposed on the aircraft’s roll rate to reduce yaw and roll moments within allowable limits. Practical implications The geometry of an electronics pod was redesigned to maximise the permissible flight envelope on its carriage aircraft while respecting the safe carriage load limits determined for its store pylon. Aircraft carriage load constraints must be determined upfront when considering the design of fast-jet electronic pods. Originality/value A process for determining the unknown load constraints of a carriage aircraft by analogy is presented, along with the process of tailoring the geometry of an electronics pod to respect aerodynamic load and geometric constraints.