UH-60M Upgrade Fly-By-Wire Flight Control Risk Reduction using the RASCAL JUH-60A In-Flight Simulator

The U.S. Army Aeroflightdynamics Directorate (AFDD), Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation (SAC), and the U.S. Army Utility Helicopter Program Office (UHPO) have completed rapid risk reduction development for the UH-60M Upgrade fly-by-wire flight control system using the RASCAL JUH-60A In-Flight Simulator and AFDD advanced flight control development tools. Analytic preparations included the development and validation of advanced dynamic models of the UH-60A and UH-60M flight mechanics, and optimization of the UH-60M Upgrade control laws with these models. The RASCAL aircraft was extensively modified to host key hardware and software elements of the UH-60M Upgrade flight control system, including prototype active cyclic and collective inceptors. The first flight of the system occurred on December 22, 2006, approximately one year after the UH-60M Upgrade System Requirements Review, and 15 months before the first prototype of the UH-60M Upgrade is scheduled to fly. Since that time, the control laws have been extensively matured on RASCAL during approximately 100 hours of flight test development; and significant improvements in handling qualities have been demonstrated relative to the UH-60A/L baseline. The RASCAL system and AFDD rapid flight control prototyping tools enabled quick implementation of the pre-production control laws in the world’s only full authority fly-by-wire Black Hawk and the rapid evolution of the control laws in a fail-safe flight environment. This was accomplished early in the overall development of the UH-60M Upgrade, effectively reducing technical, programmatic, and flight safety risk for the program.