A Thinner Flight Control Actuator

The characteristics and capabilities of a recently qualified 5.08-cm (2.0-in.) diameter rotary actuator are discussed in this paper. This newly developed actuator has the smallest diameter of any rotary actuator currently used in an aircraft flight control system.

This actuator is a part of the leading edge flap actuation system developed for a new thin-wing fighter. The unit has accumulated 17,500 equivalent flight hours in laboratory endurance testing and is currently being flight-tested.