Development of the Propulsion Simulator - A Test Tool Applicable to V/STOL Configurations

The demanding performance requirements of advanced turbine-powered tactical aircraft have made it important to understand and accurately evaluate the propulsion system/airframe interactions. The turbine engine multi-mission propulsion simulator offers the potential for accurate evaluation of these interactions by permitting the simultaneous simulation of inlet/airframe/nozzle flowfields on a single wind tunnel model. Extensive simulator usage is expected during developmental testing of supersonic V/STOL and in-flight thrust vectoring configurations, which have significant flowfield interactions. The simulator has been successfully demonstrated in a wind tunnel test program, and is currently undergoing development to a more compact version.