Assessment of Rotorcraft Agility and Maneuverability with a Pilot-in-the-Loop Simulation

In many military applications, rotorcraft maneuverability and agility have been identified as drivers of combat effectiveness. However, the design parameters that improve these attributes also increase vehicle weight and cost. This paper describes an economical, mini-computer based, six-degree of freedom, piloted simulation that can be employed to assess the impact of vehicle design parameters on combat effectiveness. The simulation technique uses a pilot- directed vehicle, with agility and maneuverability characteristics that can be varied, which is flown against a computer-driven adversary. The model preserves the essential features of rotorcraft flight, including uncoordinated maneuvers and control system limits. A limited study was conducted as a proof of concept. The impact of roll time constant, sideslip envelope, and auxiliary propulsion were investigated in two combat scenarios using fixed forward-firing guns. Effectiveness was quantified in terms of probability of target kill and probability of survival over combat time. The results provided useful insights into the relationship between vehicle handling qualities and the weapons pointing task during maneuvering flight.