Are Modular Warplanes Possible?
Modular aircraft; It involves a design consisting of modules in which aircraft fuselages, wings and other basic structural elements are brought together and can be easily replaced. Such modularity can enable the aircraft to meet different needs and be used more effectively throughout its life.
The concept of modular aircraft is based on the idea of using a set of modular components in aircraft design. This modular approach aims to enable aircraft to be configured for different missions and to make modifications specific to certain missions easier.
However, today, the concept of modularity in aircraft design is generally considered as the standardization of certain components such as engines, cockpit systems and cabin arrangements, and the ability to use the same type of aircraft in different versions.
As can be seen from the picture above, it flies on the same fuselage, one with a backward-slanting wing, the other with a vertical wing, and the other with a forward-slanting wing module mounted.
Modular aircraft; It involves a design consisting of modules in which aircraft fuselages, wings and other basic structural elements are brought together and can be easily replaced. Such modularity can enable the aircraft to meet different needs and be used more effectively throughout its life.
However, modular aircraft design presents a number of challenges. Aircraft design is often a complex engineering process, and technical challenges can arise in designing and implementing modular structures. Additionally, issues of ensuring critical factors such as safety and airworthiness need to be carefully considered.
Today, an approach has generally been adopted in aircraft design in which modularity is achieved at the level of specific components and similarities between aircraft are used. However, with technological developments in the future, modular aircraft concepts may become more considered.
British military jet developer Aeralis, today a major company in modular aircraft design and production, has made major advances in the last few years, receiving a contract from the UK Royal Air Force's Rapid Capabilities Office (RCO) as well as significant investments from Qatar-based Barzan Holdings. has recorded. The new funding has allowed the company to continue the design of its innovative modular jet trainer. First developed as the Dart Jet in 2015, the aircraft uses a common core airframe with interchangeable wings, tail units and power unit pods to create different variants.
In 2019, Aeralis partnered with engineering and design consultancy firm Atkins to work on advanced jet trainer aircraft and variants. Since then, the company has introduced a number of other potential future aerial refueling and ISR (intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance) variants, including unmanned warfare (UAV), airborne assault.
We started in the training space for a very good reason, and that was to control cost and complexity, we focused on keeping the aircraft small,” Aeralis CEO Tristan Crawford told AIN. Even with an airplane this size, if you can reconfigure it and put a slightly different wing on it or choose a slightly different engine, you can use it to do a lot of other things and get a cost advantage. The demands we have to look at are ISR (intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance) Adding fuel tanks, uncrewed and of course we are also looking at armament and the efficiencies are just increasing and increasing and increasing. So the potential for us is for this to become a true aircraft and flight system, an even more cost-effective aerial system for the customer. “This is really exciting for us.” he said.
Aeralis, a UK firm, is developing the world's first modular military jet that it says could revolutionize the way RAF (Royal Air Force) pilots train and work.
Aeralis, which can be adapted to a variety of roles and also become a fully operational flight simulator, has received support from the Ministry of Defense (MOD) and the Royal Air Force.
Civil Airlines have used a modular system for decades, but this is the first attempt with a military jet.
Aeralis, which is also the name of the company behind the project, wants the aircraft to be the RAF's next training aircraft (replacing the Hawk). However, it wants to restructure to do other work as well.
Tristan Crawford, founder and CEO of Aeralis; “For us, the practical way to do this is to use the commercial market effectively.
In this case, you can imagine, for example, having a commercial fleet consisting of pre-configured aircraft, some attack, some tankers, some advanced jet trainers, some ISR (intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance) aircraft.
"The starting point is not to reconfigure them every day, but to ensure that the fleet is ready."
Aeralis can change the aircraft flight systems as well as the wings and engines in the aircraft models it designs, so that the same aircraft operates and feels just like another aircraft.
Squadron Leader (retired) Archie Neill, a former RAF flying instructor and Sales Director for Aeralis, told Forces News: “The Typhoon has 10 switches on the lever and 12 buttons on the throttle. So those 22 buttons have about 100 functions that perform different functions that you use to manage the 80 avionics computers on the back.
What we can do with this aircraft is configure the cockpit to have 22 buttons like the Typhoon or F-35 equivalent.
So, you might actually be flying in the cockpit of a Typhoon – okay, there's no thrust, you'll never be able to replicate the thrust of the rearing Mustang pony that is a Typhoon, but you can improve your airborne motor skills.”
The company says this could revolutionize the way future pilots are trained and save British taxpayers huge sums of money, while also providing a solution to the RAF's current backlog of trainee pilots, many of whom are waiting long periods to start flying.
Mr Neill added: “What's really exciting about this for me is that you can train pilots who are going to go into the F-35 or the Typhoon or something else in this system much earlier.
“So when they arrive at RAF flight training centers to fly their first combat training aircraft (Aeralis), trainee pilots can be in a Typhoon cockpit or an F-35 cockpit, learn the motor skills immediately and go through the training system without spending too much time.”
Aeralis cooperates with 16 British companies, including big names such as Rolls Royce and Air Tanker. Qatari investors also invested £10.5 million in this project.
This modular jet is also green; It is designed to be made from sustainable materials and run on synthetic fuel.
Aeralis plans to have this modular aircraft flying in 2025 and coming to market in 2028.
The company also aims to sell the same jet worldwide and eventually fly it with the Red Arrows, the RAF's aerobatic demonstration team.
If all goes to plan, the Aeralis will be the first fully British-built crewed military jet since the 1970s.
The F-16 aircraft we use in our country today is a multi-purpose, multi-role mission aircraft. Depending on the additional equipment installed on it while on the ground, it serves in Bombardment, Attack, Defensive Pressure, Reconnaissance, Demonstration, Intercept, Test and Patrol roles.
With the production of modular aircraft, all aircraft in the same series can be converted into training or combat aircraft at the same time, depending on the need, and can be re-prepared to have different missions.
They can be prepared without a pilot with the same series and different mission codes and can also be used with artificial intelligence for combined mission packages.
Since they also have UAV and SİHA features, they can also perform UAV and SİHA missions when necessary.
Modular structure engineering can be added as a separate engineering department to 5th, 6th and even 7th generation aircraft concepts.
With the UAV and Simulator model, the pilot can participate in the real mission with the simulator integrated into the aircraft performing the real mission in the air and also perform normal flights. In this case, the training and preparedness of the pilot can be increased by performing the task as if both the pilot and the pilot were flying in the aircraft.
In this way, the training and readiness of available pilots can be maximized in case of aircraft shortage.
In cases where there are not enough aircraft available for various reasons, the pilot can be enabled to perform flight activities.
It may also be possible to re-prepare the same aircraft for different types of missions needed in different time periods.
With remote management, such flight missions can be planned for desired dangerous missions without worrying about loss of pilot and time.
Command and control centers performing operations can be reinforced with these simulators and experienced pilots. Operations centers that carry out operations can make mission-related changes from their headquarters according to instant information and task changes.
If the pilot gets tired or expires his duty due to other reasons, another pilot can take over the task momentarily.
Maximum efficiency and effectiveness can be achieved in fuel, time and operation management.
With additional refueling options, it can be used more for airborne duration and airspace controls. In fact, with a few special additions, these aircraft can perform radar duty and see the missing aspects of local radars or blind spots.
At points where domestic UAV systems are insufficient, more power and effectiveness can be achieved by switching these aircraft to the UAV role.
Flight kits can be mounted on these aircraft just above ground level, allowing them to perform their missions without being caught by the enemy.
If our country's aircraft and flight crews design and develop in this direction, it is possible for us to produce training and aircraft systems that are more effective and powerful with less effort and cost, and that allow you to change roles instantly when desired.
Modular aircraft are available in civil commercial aircraft today. Passenger and cargo capacity can be increased or decreased by changing modules.
In such modular structures, the aircraft becomes ready for duty as soon as possible by immediately replacing the faulty module in order to save the time spent on maintenance and repair costs and maintenance and repair, which will take a long time. The faulty module is taken to the ground and repaired by other maintenance and repair teams as soon as possible and prepared for duty again. This means less time and labor loss in maintenance and operation. For example, a plane with faulty wings can serve as a simulator.
By installing dual engines on the same fuselage, the aircraft's aerodynamics and functionality tasks can be tested in scientific environments, and R&D research can be carried out at a lower cost. In this regard, more efficient training and research can be carried out in universities by providing a few bodies or simulators to the relevant education units.
I evaluate that Turkey's UAV technology is currently very suitable for this situation. In addition to modularity in aircraft, I believe that such innovations can be designed and implemented in sea, air and other land vehicles.
This concept of modularity can be developed or researched in all vehicles such as UAV, UCAV, Fighter plane, Passenger plane, helicopter, DIHA, Space shuttle, AWACS, Fuel tanker Aircraft.
It is possible to obtain more successful results and achieve commercial success by designing future fighter jets or commercial purposes in this direction. But it is also necessary for many institutions and technology centers to carry out intensive R&D in this regard.
Since modular type warplanes will be produced for every situation and every mission, they can be named with a new definition (ACAR), which means every situation and every role (in the sense of All Conditions All Roles).
References
https://www.forces.net/technology/aircraft/future-forces-aviation-worlds-first-modular-military-jet
