flightglobal.com 3-9 March 2020 | Flight International | 35
UNMANNED SYSTEMS
Attritable MROUS Defense Advanced Research Projects AgencyAdvanced manufacturing tools, including
3D printing, model-based engineering and
agile software processes are making it easier
to design new aircraft, says Roper. What is
more, the rapid pace of computer hardware
and software innovation in the civilian sector
could allow the USAF to continually upgrade
the capabilities of its aircraft.
Roper talks of returning to the rapid devel-
opment cycles of the X-planes and Century
Series fighters of the 1950s.
“The whole purpose of those programmes
was to get a technology into a plane, fly it and
learn,” he says. “And occasionally, we
thought that we had hit a plateau in develop-
ment [and that’s] where we purchased.”
In addition to the USAF’s attritable aircraft
programmes, Roper has proposed a “Digital
Century Series” of piloted fighters that would
be developed in five-year increments using
the latest in advanced manufacturing.
The USAF believes that the only way to
shift the US defence industry into experimen-
tation mode is to move funds away from
maintaining old aircraft and into research and
development.
“The thing I’d like to see as a big business
change is a high growth in prototyping pro-
grammes with the air force, where there is a
huge [financial] incentive to be a design-
focused company,” says Roper.
The service’s fiscal year 2021 budget pro-
posal increases research and development
funds by 5.9% to $26.9 billion. To save
money, it proposes retiring expensive-to-
maintain aircraft, including 13 Boeing KC-135
and 16 KC-10 tankers, 24 Lockheed Martin
C-130H tactical transports, 17 Boeing B-1B
bombers and 24 Northrop Grumman RQ-4
Global Hawk Block 20/30 UAVs.The key to succeeding in this brave new
world of experimentation and limited-use
UAVs will be establishing the life-cycle costs
of individual aircraft structures, systems and
software, say airframers. “If [you] knew the
answers to that you could be hugely success-
ful at this business,” says Pehrson.
Avionics, satellite communications hard-
ware, and analytics software are likely to be
rapidly improved in the coming years, he
says. Aerospace manufacturers must be ready
to swap out the technology and should not ex-
pect follow-on MRO work.
“Trying to repair a vehicle structure, for
example the wing box, fuselage, or empen-
nage, is probably going to cost more than
what it is worth. If the structure is modular,
like in the wing, fuselage nose cone, or
empennage, there may be a case for just
those parts to be replaced,” says Scott
Wierzbanowski, programme manager for the
US Defense Advanced Research Projects
Agency’s X-61A Gremlins programme. “Up-
grades to the air vehicle, including the struc-
tural, outer mould line changes and aero per-
formance would most likely occur with the
next lot purchased.”
Ultimately, MRO and upgrade work on
attritable aircraft could look much different
from piloted combat aircraft, says Boeing.Boeing Australia is building an attritable air-
craft with the Royal Australian Air Force
called the Airpower Teaming System.
“The mix of MRO work could shift, with
less need for heavy MRO work every few
years to favour more frequent platform and
airframe checks and updates,” says Ed Clark,
vice-president of engineering, modifications
and maintenance for Boeing Global Services.
“We anticipate a mix of high capability, long-
lifecycle aircraft operating alongside shorter
life-cycle aircraft in order to support mission
effectiveness for defence customers.”
Attritable UAVs could even spur a new
market for salvaged parts. “Assuming that one
can build the attritable air vehicle cheaply
enough, the intent would be to not have a
depot for MRO, but salvage high-value
subsystems and install them in to the next
vehicle,” says Wierzbanowski. “It all comes
down to the cost of the system versus its
Substantial spending on upkeep may be deterring industry from experimental development expected life-time.” ■
US Air Force“I would like to get back to
where we do things more
experimentally, more
prototype based”
Will Roper
Assistant secretary for acquisition, technology and
logistics, US Air Force❯❯