ST. LOUIS, Feb. 03, 2005 -- Boeing [NYSE: BA] engineers completed all wind tunnel testing for the EA-18G Airborne Electronic Attack aircraft on Jan. 27 under the EA-18G System Development and Demonstration (SDD) program.
The program conducted five different wind tunnel tests at several laboratories, beginning in June 2004 and ending in January 2005. Each test gathered critical information for the continued development of the EA-18G. The Boeing team conducted a total of 1,412 hours of wind tunnel testing.
"The wind tunnel testing has validated that the F/A-18F airframe is well suited to perform the electronic attack mission," said Mike Gibbons, EA-18G chief engineer for Boeing. "We will use these results to complete the detailed design of the EA-18G weapon system and present it to the Navy at the Critical Design Review in April 2005."
- High speed performance testing was conducted on an eight percent model at the NASA-Ames transonic wind tunnel in Mountain View, Calif.
- Configuration testing and lateral-directional stability and control testing also was conducted with the eight-percent model at NASA-Ames
- Low-speed lift testing occurred at the Boeing V/STOL wind tunnel in Philadelphia with a fifteen percent model
- Separation and jettison testing for the jamming pods, external fuel tanks and missiles was conducted
- The final test, using a new 16 percent aerodynamic force and moment model, analyzed the high angle of attack for the aircraft. The test gauged the upright and inverted high angle of attack stability and control effects. It was conducted at the Langley Full Scale Tunnel, operated by Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Va.
"The EA-18G will provide improved capability and readiness, while offering a dramatic reduction in operating and support costs," says Bob Feldmann, EA-18G program manager for Boeing. "The Electronic Attack system on the EA-18G provides the flexibility to counter the threats of today and to dominate the RF spectrum in the future, especially in the area of communications countermeasures." The EA-18G was designed by an industry team led by Boeing and Northrop Grumman Beth page for affordability and growth. It will provide near-term capability and the capacity to incorporate receiver advancements, integrated AESA operations, next-generation jammers and other enhancements.
The SDD program, which runs through early FY09, encompasses all laboratory, ground test, and flight tests for the EA-18G. First flight is expected in September 2006. The EA-18G will reach initial operational capability in the U.S. Navy by 2009.
A unit of The Boeing Company, Boeing Integrated Defense Systems is one of the world's largest space and defense businesses. Headquartered in St. Louis, Boeing Integrated Defense Systems is a $27 billion business. It provides network-centric system solutions to its global military, government, and commercial customers. It is a leading provider of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance systems; the world's largest military aircraft manufacturer; the world's largest satellite manufacturer and a leading provider of space-based communications; the primary systems integrator for U.S. missile defense and Department of Homeland Security; NASA's largest contractor; and a global leader in launch services.