Developing a 6DoF Aircraft Munitions Optical Tracking System

During the release of an external store, such as a bomb, from an aircraft, disturbances in the airflow surrounding the aircraft create coupled aerodynamic loads. These loads affect the released store's trajectory which may cause the store to collide with the aircraft. Reducing the risk of such an event and ensuring the safety of delivery, jettison, and launch operations make executing dedicated flight tests essential. (Figure 1)

Today, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation software is used to estimate the trajectory of separation between the aircraft and the store. But how reliable is the CFD model in real-life situations? To determine its accuracy, a flight test campaign is used to measure the store's actual separation trajectory. Several test points are selected from the safest to the most extreme flying condition. The data sets collected from the test flights will be compared against the CFD simulation results to determine the safety level and readiness of the store release operation.