Air Platforms

The Air Platforms COI serves as a standing forum within the DoD S&T Reliance 21 Program for developing consensus and identifying S&T issues related to air platforms, including fixed and rotary wing vehicles, aircraft propulsion, hypersonic systems, aircraft power and thermal management. The Air Platforms COI promotes cooperation and collaboration between DoD components leading the discovery, development, and integration of innovative and affordable technologies for manned, unmanned, and optionally manned future air systems.

• Aircraft Propulsion, Power and Thermal: This subarea encompasses propulsion, electrical power and thermal management technologies for primary and secondary power systems of military aircraft, including integration of these subsystems. Traditionally organized under the Versatile Affordable Advanced Turbine Engines (VAATE) and Energy Optimized Aircraft (EOA) initiatives, multiple technologies in this subarea have wider applicability and are leveraged by the Energy and Power COI, especially those associated with power, thermal management and alternative concept propulsion (e.g., non-turbine, battery-powered, fuel cells, hybrids, etc.). Technologies include: Turbofan/jet – Large; Turbofan/jet – Small; Alternative Concept Propulsion; Turboshaft / prop; Expendable Turbines; Integrated Aircraft Architectures and Controls; Power Generation; Thermal Management; Power Management and Distribution; Energy Storage; and Actuation.
• Fixed Wing Vehicles: This subarea covers the investigation, development, analysis, integration, and demonstration of advanced fixed wing vehicle technologies that improve the performance, supportability, and capability of existing and future air vehicles in the subsonic and supersonic speed regimes. This includes: Manned and Unmanned Systems; Advanced Structures Technologies; Flight Control; Vehicle Configurations; Fabrication Processes; Propulsion Integration; Weapons Integration; Multi-disciplinary Design & Analysis; High Fidelity Computational Analysis; and Sustainment Technologies to Reduce Life Cycle Costs & Increase Readiness.
• High-Speed/Hypersonics: This subarea develops, matures, integrates, and transitions aerospace vehicle technologies for atmospheric hypersonic flight. Relevant end-user applications include hypersonic cruise missiles and glide weapons for strike; air platforms for strike, ISR, and transport; and space launch systems. Applicable technology areas include: Propulsion; Aeromechanics; Materials & Structure; Guidance, Navigation & Control (GN&C); Power & Thermal Management; and Thermal Protection Systems.
• Rotary Wing Vehicles: This subarea supports both the current and future fleet with a portfolio that is balanced according to Warfighter gaps and priorities. Overarching capabilities to be enabled include extending areas of operations - flying faster and farther while carrying more, full spectrum operations in complex environments, demonstration of autonomy, and advanced low- and zero-maintenance concepts. The technical areas include: Rotors & Aeromechanics; Vehicle Management & Control; Structures; Power Systems & Drives; Operations & Sustainment; Human Systems Interface; Avionics & Networking; Autonomy & Teaming; Survivability; Concept Design & Assessment; Sea Based Aviation; Propulsion; and Flight Control.