DOT/FAA/TC-xx/xx Volume I UAS Airborne Collision … I UAS Airborne... · Volume I – UAS Airborne...

Volume I – UAS Airborne Collision Severity – Projectile and Target Definition

DOT/FAA/TC-xx/xx

Federal Aviation

Administration

William J. Hughes Technical

Center

Aviation Research Division

Atlantic City International

Airport

New Jersey 08405

Volume I – UAS Airborne Collision

Severity – Projectile and Target

Definitions

December 16, 2016

This document is available to the U.S. public

through the National Technical Information

Services (NTIS), Springfield, Virginia 22161.

This document is also available from the

Federal Aviation Administration William J. Hughes

Technical Center at actlibrary.tc.faa.gov.

U.S. Department of Transportation

Federal Aviation Administration


NOTICE

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Government assumes no liability for the contents or use thereof. The United

States Government does not endorse products or manufacturers. Trade or

manufacturer's names appear herein solely because they are considered

essential to the objective of this report. The findings and conclusions in this

report are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the views of

the funding agency. This document does not constitute FAA policy. Consult the

FAA sponsoring organization listed on the Technical Documentation page as to

its use.

This report is available at the Federal Aviation Administration William J. Hughes

Technical Center’s Full-Text Technical Reports page: actlibrary.tc.faa.gov in

Adobe Acrobat portable document format (PDF).


Technical Report Documentation Page

1. Report No.

DOT/FAA/TC-xx/xx

2. Government Accession No. 3. Recipient's Catalog No.

4. Title and Subtitle

Volume I – UAS Airborne Collision Severity – Projectile and

Target Definition

5. Report Date

December 16, 2016

6. Performing Organization Code

7. Author(s)

Douglas S. Cairns, Lysle A. Wood Distinguished Professor, Principal

Investigator

Graham Johnson, Graduate Research Assistant

8. Performing Organization

Report No.

9. Performing Organization Name and Address

Montana State University as part of ASSURE (Alliance for System

Safety of UAS through Research Excellence

Bozeman, MT 59717

10. Work Unit No. (TRAIS)

11. Contract or Grant No.


12. Sponsoring Agency Name and Address

U.S. Department of Transportation

Federal Aviation Administration

William J. Hughes Technical Center

Aviation Research Division

***BRANCH***

Atlantic City International Airport, NJ 08405

13. Type of Report and Period

Covered

14. Sponsoring Agency Code

15. Supplementary Notes

16. Abstract

This is the Volume I of the UAS Airborne Collision Severity – Projectile and Target Definitions from Montana

State University for Unmanned Aircraft Systems to Aircraft Air-to-Air Collision. This report is a study on

current unmanned aircraft systems as well as commercial and business jets operating within the National

Airspace System. As of early 2016, 3 lbs unmanned aircraft systems and below capture 60% of the FAA

Section 333 waivers, 80% are below 15 lbs, and only 1% are above 55 lbs.

This report is a catalog and justification of projectile and target selections for UAS Air to Air Collision studies.

Based on available data during the first quarter of 2016, the DJI Phantom 3 quad copter and Precision Hawk

fixed wing UAS were chosen as prototypical projectiles. The Boeing 737 is the most popular commercial

aircraft, and was chosen as the prototypical commercial aircraft target. A Lear 31A was chosen as the

prototypical business jet target as a consequence of its attributes and previous work.


17. Key Words

UAS Air to Air Collision, projectile, target,

commercial transport aircraft, business jet, impact

18. Distribution Statement

This document is available to the U.S. public through

the National Technical Information Service (NTIS),

Springfield, Virginia 22161. This document is also

available from the Federal Aviation Administration

William J. Hughes technical Center at

actlibrary.tc.faa.gov

19. Security Classif. (of this

report)

Unclassified

20. Security Classif. (of this page)

Unclassified

21. No. of

Pages

22. Price

Form DOT F 1700.7 (8-72) Reproduction of completed page authorized


i

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Section Page

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS vi

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY vi

1.0 PHASE I PROJECTILE (UAS CLASS) DEFINITION 1

1.1 PROJECTILES AND QUANTITIES IN SERVICE 1

1.1.1 COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE UAS 1

1.1.2 PRIVATE USERS 3

1.1.3 FIXED WING UAS AIRCRAFT 5

1.2 PROJECTILE SERVICE SPECIFICATIONS 6

1.2.1 SERVICE MISSIONS 7

1.3 SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS 8

1.4 FUTURE STUDIES 9

1.5 REFERENCES 8

2.0 PHASE II TARGET (AIRCRAFT TYPE) DEFINITIONS 10

2.1 TARGETS 10

2.1.1 BUSINESS JET 10

2.1.2 COMMERCIAL AIRCRAFT 11

2.2 TARGET SPECIFICATIONS 12

2.2.1 BUSINESS JET 12

2.2.2 COMMERCIAL AIRCRAFT 14

2.3 BUSINESS JET AND TRANSPORT AIRCRAFT TARGET SUMMARY AND

CONCLUSIONS 15

2.4 FUTURE WORK 16

2.5 REFERENCES AND BIBLIOGRAPHY 16


ii

APPENDICES

Appendix Page

APPENDIX A UAS DATABASE (CURRENT AS OF EARLY 2016) A-1

APPENDIX B COMMERCIAL TRANSPORT AND BUSINESS JET DATABASE B-1


iii

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure Page

Figure I.1 A3 Air to Air Collision Tasks (Montana State work is in blue) viii

Figure 1.1 Platform as a % of FAA Exemption References 1

Figure 1.2 FAA Exemptions Based On MGTOWS < 55lbs 2

Figure 1.3 AUVSI Database Based On MGTOWS < 55LBS 2

Figure 1.4 Typical DJI Phantom 3 Series Configuration 4

Figure 1.5 Typical Precision Hawk Configuration 5

Figure 1.6 FAA Form 333 Exemptions by Type 8

Figure 1.7 Most Popular UAS: Mass, Velocity Vs Altitude 9

Figure 2.1 20 Business Jets Most Commonly Registered With the FAA 10

Figure 2.2 2015 Business Jet Sales 11

Figure 2.3 In-Service Commercial Aircraft 12

Figure 2.4 Lear 31A Business Jet Aircraft 13

Figure 2.5 Boeing 737 Classic 15


iv

LIST OF TABLES

Table Page

Table I.1 Approximate Division of Labor for Air to Air Collision Studies ix

Table I.2 Montana State University Specific Tasks ix

Table 1.1 Range of UAS Specifications 7

Table 2.1 Most Commonly Registered Business Jets – Specifications 143

Table 2.2 2015 New Business Jet Sales – Specifications 154

Table 2.3 Commercial Aircraft Specifications 175


v

LIST OF ACRONYMS

AGL Above Ground Level

ASSURE Alliance for System Safety of UAS through Research Excellence

AUVSI Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International

COA Certificate of Waiver or Authorization

FAA Federal Aviation Administration

GA General Aviation

GAMA General Aviation Manufacturers Association

GCS Ground Control Station

GTOW Gross Take-Off Weight

JAA Joint Aviation Authority

MGTOW Maximum Gross Takeoff Weight

MSU Montana State University

NAS National Airspace System

NIAR National Institute for Aviation Research

NPIAS National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems

UA Unmanned Aircraft

UAH University of Alabama, Huntsville

UAS Unmanned Aircraft Systems


vi

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Montana State University would like to thank the FAA’s Center of Excellence for Unmanned

Aircraft Systems, ASSURE, for supporting this work. MSU would also like to thank AUVSI for

the use of their UAS database, enabled by Mike Toscano and administered by David Klein. The

AUVSI database is the most comprehensive UAS database in the world and without it, the

conclusions drawn in this report would not have been possible. MSU further appreciates the

collaboration with University of Alabama, Huntsville. Dave Arterburn is the team leader for Air

to Ground UAS collisions, and MSU and UAH share a common need for a database on impact

modeling.

Also appreciated is the work of Dr. Geraldo Olivares and the rest of the Crash Dynamics Lab &

Computational Mechanics Lab at the National Institute for Aviation Research at Wichita State

University. Their proactive development of the 737 and Learjet 31A models has saved substantial

development time and money for the UAS Airborne Collision Severity Evaluation. Drs. Kiran D’

Souza from the Ohio State University and Tom Lacy from Mississippi State University have been

important collaborators for this first year, and as we move forward.

Special thanks to those in the FAA who have been involved throughout include Sabrina Saunders-

Hodge, Chris Swider, Bill Oehlschlager, and Paul Campbell. Special thanks is due to Paul

Rumberger who has been instrumental for bridging the diverse operational cultures of universities

and the FAA into a working entity for ASSURE.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

This work is a summary of initial projectile and target definitions for Unmanned Aircraft Systems

(UAS) to Aircraft Collision studies. The emphasis of the first work has been on UAS to

Commercial Transport and Business Jet collisions.

The work began with a survey of available UAS and FAA waivers for UAS operations. This is a

very dynamic field, and the data herein represent available data through the first quarter of 2016.

Several findings were important. These are summarized below:

• The most popular platforms for FAA exemptions are also among the most popular in the

recreational market, i.e. recreational UAS very capable

• 3 lbs MTOW and below capture 60% of the FAA waivers, 80% are below 15 lbs, and only

1% are above 55 lbs

• Small UAS (3 lbs MTOW) are capable of flying to 18,000 MSL or above

• Rotorcraft type UAS numbers far exceed fixed wing

• DJI is the major player, with 60% of the exemptions being a Phantom type platform

• DJI is the largest supplier to the commercial and recreational market

• UAS types and applications are a dynamic situation


vii

The DJI Phantom 3 was chosen as the prototypical rotorcraft UAS for collision studies. A Precision

Hawk fixed wing aircraft was also chosen for UAS to Aircraft collision studies.

The next task was to determine typical targets for the studies. The Boeing 737 was chosen as the

prototypical commercial transport target. It is the most popular commercial transport aircraft in

the world. A Lear 31A business jet was chosen as the Business Jet target. Not coincidentally, the

National Institute for Aviation Research has previously developed detailed airframe finite element

models of these targets, saving 15,000-20,000 person-hours of work.

INTRODUCTION

The FAA project developed by the UAS Center of Excellence ASSURE (ASSUREuas.org) on

UAS to Aircraft Collision was conducted by Wichita State University, National Institution for

Aviation Research (NIAR, Lead), Mississippi State University, Montana State University, and the

Ohio State University. A high level overview from the proposal is shown in Figure I.1

During the course of the project, the approximate task and subtask responsibilities are shown in

Table I.1 and the specific tasks for Montana State University are shown in Table I.2.


viii

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ix

Figure I.1 A3 Air to Air Collision Tasks (Montana State work is in blue)


x

Table I.1 Approximate Division of Labor for Air to Air Collision Studies

Table I.2 Montana State University Specific Tasks

Volume I – UAS Airborne Collision Severity – Projectile and Target Definitions

1

1.0 PHASE I PROJECTILE (UAS CLASS) DEFINITION

1.1 PROJECTILES AND QUANTITIES IN SERVICE

There are three main entities operating UAS (Unmanned Aircraft Systems) in the NAS (National

Airspace System at this time in the U.S.:

1. Government Agencies, which are not considered in this report

2. Commercial entities for profit

3. Private, hobbyist users for recreational use

1.1.1 COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE UAS

Commercial entity UAS use are monitored and governed by the FAA through the application and

award of a Form 333 Exemption which, if granted, results in a commercial entity being given a

COA (Certificate of Waiver or Authorization). Within each exemption request the entity must

identify the specific UAS platform they intend to use (multiple platforms can be referenced in the

same exemption request) as well as the industry with which they will be using the UAS.

As of early 2016, the Department of Transportation had granted 3,306 Form 333 Exemptions

across a wide range of industries [1.4]. Analyzing these exemptions shows that the most

commonly referenced UAS is the DJI Phantom 2 and 3 series of quad copters [1.3].


2

Figure 1.1 Platform as a % of FAA Exemption References

Further analysis of the exemptions database shows some striking trends for the UAS being used in

commercial applications. While one might initially think that commercial applications would

involve UAS on the heavier side, but that is not the case. Figure 1.2 shows that over 1/3 of all

FAA Exemptions are under 5lbs. If this < 5lbs weight class is further broken down, it shows that

14% of exemptions (approx. 460 total exemptions) occur around the weight class of the most

common exempted aircraft, the DJI Phantom series. Furthermore, an additional 9% of all

exemptions occur below 2 lbs.

41%

32%

20%

12%

7% 7%4% 3% 2% 2%

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DJI Inspire1

DJIPhantom 3

DJISpreading

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Typhoon

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YAs mult iple platforms are referenced in a s ingle exemption,

the f requencies sum to more than 100%

Model / Platform


3

Figure 1.2 FAA Exemptions Based On MGTOWS < 55lbs

The AUVSI data follows these trends for MGTOW’s. Figure 1.3 below shows the AUVSI

(Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International) database broken down in similar

fashion as the FAA Exemption database.

Figure 1.3 AUVSI Database Based On MGTOWS < 55LBS

36%

25%

19%

4%

7%

4%2%

1% 1%0%

1%

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5%

10%

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4

In speaking with DJI representatives, their impression is that the UAS market will continue a

downward MGTOW (Maximum Gross Takeoff Weight) trend as materials get lighter, and

electronics get smaller and lighter.

Since missions are not monitored, there is there is no way to estimate or measure how many

commercial entities are operating their UAS on any given day. One would, in fact, assume that as

a commercial operator, these entities would be trying to maximize their flight hours to maximize

their potential profit making them a potentially constant NAS user. Probabilistic estimate of

projectiles and target threats may be difficult.

1.1.2 PRIVATE USERS

Private user UAS use is monitored and governed by the FAA through an online (there is the

opportunity to mail in a registration form) self-registration form. Private users intending on flying

UAS between .55lbs and 55lbs are required to enter their name, address (mailing and physical)

and email address. They are issued a registration ID that they are required to mark on all UAS

they operate. One registration ID is sufficient for all of a user’s UAS and is valid for 3 years.

Unfortunately, the FAA does not require private users to disclose the type of UAS they are

operating, leaving the exact number and type of UAS being used by private individuals up to

speculation. The problem can be bounded by the fact that there have been almost 300,000 private

registrations since the FAA instituted the self-registration process December 21st, 2015 [1.5].

Furthermore, with a high degree of probability, it can be assumed that the most common UAS

owned by the private population is a DJI model as DJI is the largest non-military drone

manufacturer in the world [1.6]. And, that DJI product is likely a Phantom 1, 2, or 3. However,

the exact quantity of UAS in private hands, being flown on a day to day basis, actual flight hours,

is not known. Moreover, as UAS manufacturers are almost all privately owned companies,

accurate sales data for specific units is not available.

Therefore, while it is probably safe to assume that the DJI Phantom is the most popular UAS with

any capability, specific UAS quantities and flight hours are simply not known. Anyway, the DJI

Phantom 3 was chosen as the prototypical rotorcraft for UAS collision studies. A typical

configuration is shown in Figure 1.4.

https://drone-registration.net/?gclid=CODErs7k1MsCFVBhfgodAVUGcA


5

Figure 1.4 Typical DJI Phantom 3 Series Configuration [1.6]

Commercial and private entities primarily operate either rotorcraft or fixed wing aircraft. Of the

over 900 platforms that AUVSI lists as being under 55lbs, 33% are rotorcraft, either single or multi

[1.1].

1.1.3 FIXED WING UAS AIRCRAFT

It was desired to add another small UAS in the fixed wing category. These are substantially less

popular in the FAA database, and small by any sales metric compared to rotorcraft type UAS.

However, fixed wing UAS represent a different kind of threat compared to rotorcraft due to

differences in geometry, mass distribution, range, endurance, and typical weight. For Air to Air

Collision studies, the Precision Hawk commercial UAS has been selected. This was essentially

done by accolade, but it has features which are relevant to this first collision study. It is a relatively

well known UAS to the FAA, and 337 exemption status is relatively easy to obtain. The Precision

Hawk is part of the FAA’s Pathfinder program, to extend use of UAS beyond visual line of sight.

Furthermore, the lead university for ASSURE, Mississippi State University, has done collaborative

research and development with Precision Hawk. The following specifications apply to the

Precision Hawk. (MTOWMGTOW 7.5 lbs, wingspan = 4.9 ft, up to 60 minutes endurance). A

typical Precision Hawk is shown in Figure 1.5.

http://www.precisionhawk.com/


6

Figure 1.5 Typical Precision Hawk Configuration [1.7]

1.2 PROJECTILE SERVICE SPECIFICATIONS

With 2,700+ air platforms, 800+ maritime and 800+ ground platforms in their database, AUVSI

is the most comprehensive database of unmanned systems and robotics in the industry. AUVSI

estimates that approx. 33% of all UAS are rotorcraft platforms. The specifications of these

platforms vary from:

MGTOW: .8 ounces to 55 lbs.

Maximum speed: 11 to 104 knots

Endurance: 10 minutes to 12 hours

Range: 260’ to 46 miles

Maximum altitude: 82’ to 19,000’ [1.1]

Materials

o Structural members

Engineering thermoplastics

Fiberglass

Carbon Fiber

Aluminum

o Rotors – most often fiberglass or carbon fiber

o Batteries – primarily lithium based

o Propulsion source

Primarily electric motors consisting of aluminum or plastic housings with

iron and cobalt alloys

Combustion engines account for 183 of the 930 AUVSI platforms below

55lbs


7

It is critically important to note that these specifications are all based upon software and hardware

that is easily user modified as well as environmental operating conditions. For instance, while

3DR reports their Solo UAS as having a maximum AGL altitude of 400’, they also specify that it

is “user adjustable;” web searches show users flying above the 400’ limit, as high as 800’+.

Therefore, while the afore mentioned specifications are valuable in understanding the breadth of

capabilities of UAS currently available to the public, they are not necessarily indicative of the

maximum capabilities of those UAS. Moreover, there is not a linear relation between MGTOW

and speed, endurance, range and/or maximum altitudes.

For instance, Table 1.1 represents a random sampling of the maximum and minimum values within

each specification category. Within each category there is not a clear formula to be applied to

determine desired specifications.

Table 1.1 Range of UAS Specifications

Make / Platform

Platform

MGTOW

(lbs)

Max Speed

(knots)

Endurance

(hours)

Max Range

(miles)

Max altitude

(ft)

DJI Phantom 2 2.9 29.2 0.4 0.6 400 – 2000

Aeryon Labs

SkyRanger

5.3 35 0.8 3.1 15000

Aibotix Aibot X6 14.3 48.6 0.5 13123

UAV Solutions

Allerion 25-T

25 12 0.1 250

Parrot Bebop 0.8 25 0.2 0.2 450

Challis Heliplane UAV

E950

55 1 21

Dragonfly Pictures

DP-6XT Whisper

50 70 1 46 15000

1.2.1 SERVICE MISSIONS

Form 333 Exemptions require the applicant to list their expected use. Based on analyzing these

exemptions, almost half of all exemptions list Photo/Film as their business use. Note - commercial

entities can list multiple uses per exemption request. Exemption uses are shown in Figure 1.6.


8

Figure 1.6 FAA Form 333 Exemptions by Type

1.3 SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS

With a projected 700,000 [1.8] to one million UAS sold in 2015 [1.8], over 3,000 FAA Form 333

Exemptions granted [1.5], and an industry annual revenue worth over $100 million [1.8], drones

are ever more a part of our society. The speed, range and altitude that an off the shelf UAS can

reach is both a marvel to our engineering ability and potential threat for manned aircraft (Figure

1.7).

Defining a typical small UAS for Air to Air Collison studies is a “moving target”. However, given

the information available at the time of this report, the DJI Phantom series as well as the Precision

Hawk are plausible platforms to determine initial threats to manned aircraft. After initial studies,

these can be scaled up or down to bound the threats from small UAS Air to Air collisions.

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%


9

Figure 1.7 Most Popular UAS: Mass, Velocity Vs Altitude

1.4 FUTURE STUDIES

The small UAS arena in the US is very dynamic. It is difficult to drive a stake in and declare that

it will not change. The distribution of small UAS in the NAS is also expected to be heavily

influenced by conclusions from the FAA’s Notice of Proposed Rulemaking for small UAS [1.9].

The FAA Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, Operation and Certification of Small Unmanned

Aircraft Systems were the only available FAA UAS specifications at the time the decisions for

defining UAS projectiles for collision studies had to be made. FAA Part 107, Small Unmanned

Aircraft Systems (sUAs), FAA Advisory Circular 107-2 [1.10] now supersedes Reference [1.9].

Future definitions of UAS Projectiles for collision studies should keep apprised of the evolution

of UAS platforms and use as a consequence of Part 107.

In terms of future database development and management, discussions are under way with the

University of Alabama, Huntsville. UAH has developed a more user-friendly version of the data

and have agreed to be the official ASSURE UAS database manager.

1.5 REFERENCES

1.1 AUVSI, "Air Platform Search," 2016. [Online]. Available: http://www.auvsi.org/home .

http://www.auvsi.org/home


10

1.2 US DOT, "Airframe Inventories for BTS Form 41 Reporting Carriers," 31 December 2001.

[Online]. Available:

http://www.rita.dot.gov/bts/sites/rita.dot.gov.bts/files/subject_areas/airline_information/airfra

me_cost_report/index.html . [Accessed 22 February 2016].

1.3 A. H. Michel and D. Gettinger, "The Drone Exemptions Database," 30 September 2015.

[Online]. Available: http://dronecenter.bard.edu/the-exemptions-database/ . [Accessed 7

February 2016].

1.4 "Authorizations Granted Via Section 333 Exemptions," 5 February 2016. [Online].

Available: http://www.faa.gov/uas/legislative_programs/section_333/333_authorizations/ .

[Accessed 5 February 2016].

1.5 Federal Aviation Administration, "FAA Press Releases," 22 January 2016. [Online].

Available: https://www.faa.gov/news/press_releases/news_story.cfm?newsId=19914 .

1.6 R. Mac, F. Bi and H. Shao, "World's Largest Drone Manufacturer DJI Seeking To Raise at

$10 Billion Valuation," 14 April 2015. [Online]. Available:

http://www.forbes.com/sites/ryanmac/2015/04/14/worlds-largest-drone-manufacturer-dji-

seeking-to-raise-at-10-billion-valuation/#266a0a5777db . [Accessed 7 February 2016].

1.7 Precision Hawk, www.precisionhawk.com

1.8 Business Wire, "New Tech to Drive CE Industry Growth in 2015, Projects CEA’s Midyear

Sales and Forecasts Report," 15 July 2015. [Online]. Available:

http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20150715006129/en/Tech-Drive-CE-Industry-

Growth-2015-Projects.

1.9 FAA Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, Operation and Certification of Small Unmanned

Aircraft Systems, FAA Docket Number, FAA-2015-0150.

1.10 Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (sUAs), FAA Advisory Circular 107-2, 6/21/16.

http://www.rita.dot.gov/bts/sites/rita.dot.gov.bts/files/subject_areas/airline_information/airframe_cost_report/index.html


http://dronecenter.bard.edu/the-exemptions-database/

http://www.faa.gov/uas/legislative_programs/section_333/333_authorizations/

https://www.faa.gov/news/press_releases/news_story.cfm?newsId=19914

http://www.forbes.com/sites/ryanmac/2015/04/14/worlds-largest-drone-manufacturer-dji-seeking-to-raise-at-10-billion-valuation/#266a0a5777db

http://www.forbes.com/sites/ryanmac/2015/04/14/worlds-largest-drone-manufacturer-dji-seeking-to-raise-at-10-billion-valuation/#266a0a5777db

http://www.precisionhawk.com/

http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20150715006129/en/Tech-Drive-CE-Industry-Growth-2015-Projects

http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20150715006129/en/Tech-Drive-CE-Industry-Growth-2015-Projects


11

2.0 PHASE II TARGET (AIRCRAFT TYPE) DEFINITIONS

2.1 TARGETS

For the Air to Air Collision work, targets had to be defined. As with the UAS projectile, the targets

need to be representative of a wide variety of commercial and business jet aircraft. The

specifications and rationale for target choices are provided below.

2.1.1 BUSINESS JET

The 20 most common business jets range from 8 – 20 passengers, in addition to a flight crew of 2

- 4. These jets average a wingspan of 52ft with a range of 1,750nm at a maximum speed of over

400 knots. Cessna manufacturers 30% of this market.

Figure 2.1 20 Business Jets Most Commonly Registered With the FAA

378 Business jets were sold in the United States in 2015 [2.2]. Aircraft with over 20 sales are

shown below. Note that some aircraft manufacturers do not itemize their aircraft sales and as such

sales from companies such as Dassault Falcon Jet will show multiple models aggregated into a

single sales figure. While this does not provide a direct model quantity, it does provide a valuable

trend for market analytics.

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

UN

ITS

MAKE / MODEL


12

Figure 2.2 2015 Business Jet Sales

Industry analysts consistently rank the top business jet manufacturers (based both on customer

satisfaction & industry sales) as Gulfstream, Cessna and Bombardier [2.3], [2.4].

2.1.2 COMMERCIAL AIRCRAFT

The most common commercial aircraft as evidenced by FAA registrations is the Boeing 737 with

over 2,000 aircraft registrations. The 737 leads all other commercial aircraft registrations by

almost a factor of four [2.1]. As of February 2016, over 8,920 Boeing 737 ships have been

delivered with another 4,378 on order [2.5]. Wichita State University has spent over 10,000 hours

“reverse engineering” the 737 airframe [2.6]. Figure 2.3 clearly shows the prevalence of the 737,

making it an obvious choice for the UAS to Commercial Aircraft Air to Air Collision studies.

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

SALE

S Q

UA

NTI

TY

MAKE / MODEL


13

Figure 2.3 In-Service Commercial Aircraft

2.2 TARGET SPECIFICATIONS

2.2.1 BUSINESS JET

Wichita State University reverse engineered the Learjet 31A. This was a similar effort to reverse

engineer the Boeing 737 stated above. While the Learjet 31A may not be the most popular airframe

for business jets as in the case of the Boeing 737 in the commercial market, the Learjet 31A is

typical in terms of specifications for the business fleet. Its max speed is at the upper end of the

range in Table 2.1. For these reasons, the Lear 31A was chosen as the prototypical business jet

target for UAS to Aircraft collision studies. A typical Lear 31A aircraft is shown in Figure 2.4.

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500Q

UA

NTI

TY I

N S

ERV

ICE

MAKE / MODEL

2001 (Rita)

2016 (FAA)


14

Figure 2.4 Lear 31A Business Jet Aircraft [2.7]

Table 2.1 Most Commonly Registered Business Jets – Specifications

Make / Model

Cessna

560XL

Cessna

560

Cessna 525

(CJ1)

Learjet

31A

Average

Specifications

FAA Registrations 591 583 480 132 -

Wingspan (ft) 56 52 47 44 52

Length (ft) 52 49 43 49 48

Height (ft) 17 15 14 12 15

Max Speed (knots) 429 427 380 481 412

Wing Surface Area

(sqft) 370 343 240 264 318

Skin material Aluminum Aluminum Aluminum Aluminum Aluminum


15

Propulsion –

Turbofan (kN) (2) 16.9 (2) 12.9 (2) 8.45 (2) 15.6 (2) 13

Range (nm) 2080 1920 1250 1266 1750

Max GTOW (lbs) 20000 16300 10600 17000 15633

An interesting trend is noted in Table 2.2. The recent sales of business jets represents a trend to

larger and faster aircraft. This trend will be monitored to ensure that the studies developed for UAS

to Aircraft Air to Air Collision are current and relevant.

Table 2.2 2015 New Business Jet Sales – Specifications

Make / Model Gulfstream 550 Embraer Phenom 300 Bombardier Global 5000

Wingspan (ft) 94 52 94

Length (ft) 96 51 97

Height (ft) 26 17 26

Max Speed (knots) 580 520 513

Wing Surface Area

(sqft) n/a n/a 1022

Skin material Aluminum Aluminum Aluminum

Propulsion – Turbofan

(kN) (2) 68.4 (2) 14.95 (2) 65.6

Engine Configuration rear fuselage

mounted rear fuselage mounted rear fuselage mounted


16

Range (nm) 6750 1971 5200

Max GTOW (lbs) 91000 17968 92500

Aircraft Operation Passenger Passenger Passenger

2.2.2 COMMERCIAL AIRCRAFT

All of the aircraft in Table 2.3 have similar speeds, and are represented by the Boeing 737 model.

Vulnerable regions such as aircraft windows, wing leading edges, control surfaces, and engines

can be modeled with the 737, with general threat conclusions to the fleet. Specific design details

of a given aircraft may need to be studied if the configuration differs significantly from the 737

airframe detail.

Consequently, the Boeing 737 Classic, shown in Figure 2.5 was chosen as the prototypical

commercial transport for Air to Air Collision Studies.


17

Table 2.3 Commercial Aircraft Specifications

Make / Model

Boeing 737-

300 Boeing 757-200 Airbus A320-232

McDonnell-Douglas

MD-81

Wingspan (ft) 95 125 112 108

Length (ft) 110 155 123 148

Height (ft) 37 45 39 30

Max Speed

(knots) 490 493 488 500

Wing Surface

Area (sqft) 1135 1994 1320 1209

Skin material Aluminum Aluminum Aluminum Aluminum

Propulsion

System (kN)

(2) 89

Turbofans

(2) 189.5

Turbofans (2) 110 Turbofans (2) 82.3 Turbofans

Engine

Configuration

under wing

mounted

under wing

mounted

under wing

mounted

rear fuselage

mounted

Range (nm) 3400 3929 3078 1564

Max GTOW (lbs) 138500 255000 170000 149500

Aircraft Operation Passenger,

Cargo Passenger, Cargo Passenger, Cargo Passenger, Cargo


18

Figure 2.5 Boeing 737 Classic [2.8]

2.3 BUSINESS JET AND TRANSPORT AIRCRAFT TARGET SUMMARY AND

CONCLUSIONS

Business jets make up a large portion of the GA market and combined with commercial aircraft,

represent the bulk of high altitude targets. They are also vulnerable in landing configurations

around busy commercial and GA airports. By evaluating the Boeing 737 and Learjet 31A, the

majority of the commercial and business jet aircraft will be represented in any studies involving

severability and survivability of airstrikes between aircraft and UAS.

2.4 FUTURE WORK

This study will be revisited throughout the life of the FAA ASSURE Center of Excellence to ensure

that the airframes studied are still representative of the typical targets for commercial aircraft and

business jet, UAS to Aircraft Air to Air Collisions. For FY 2017, it is incumbent to study additional

aircraft, most notably rotorcraft and smaller, low altitude GA for UAS Air to Air collisions since

it is anticipated that these collisions could be more catastrophic compared to the aircraft presented

in this first report.

2.5 REFERENCES AND BIBLIOGRAPHY


19

2.1 FAA, "Make / Model Inquiry," 9 March 2016. [Online]. Available:

http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/AcftRef_Inquiry.aspx . [Accessed 10 March 2016].

2.2 GAMA, "Quarterly Shipments and Billings," 17 February 2016. [Online]. Available:

http://www.gama.aero/media-center/industry-facts-and-statistics/shipments-billings .


2.3 K. Spence, "The Most Popular Business Jets -- This Is How the Elite Like to Fly," 28 August

2014. [Online]. Available: http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2014/08/18/the-most-

popular-business-jets-this-is-how-the-eli.aspx . [Accessed 23 February 2016].

2.4 N. Chieco, "The Top Five Business Jets of Today," 6 January 2016. [Online]. Available:

http://www.nycaviation.com/2015/01/best-bizjets-today/#.VsyO6PkrKUl . [Accessed 23

February 2016].

2.5 Boeing, "Orders - Deliveries: Boeing," 25 March 2016. [Online]. Available:

http://www.boeing.com/commercial/#/orders-deliveries . [Accessed 25 March 2016].

2.6 Personal communication with Gerardo Olivares, NIAR, January, 2016.

2.7 Lear Corporation, now Bombardier Corp. http://businessaircraft.bombardier.com/en/aircraft

2.8 Boeing Commercial Aircraft, www.Boeing.com/comercial .

2.9 US DOT, "Airframe Inventories for BTS Form 41 Reporting Carriers," 31 December 2001.

2.10 [Online]. Available:

http://www.rita.dot.gov/bts/sites/rita.dot.gov.bts/files/subject_areas/airline_information/airfra

me_cost_report/index.html . [Accessed 22 February 2016].

2.11 Airliners.net, "Airliners.net," 23 February 2016. [Online]. Available:

http//www.airliners.net/aircraft-data/. [Accessed 23 February 2016].

2.12 Flugzeug, "Flugzeuginfo.net," 1 January 2016. [Online]. Available:

http://www.flugzeuginfo.net/index_en.php . [Accessed 10 March 2016].

http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/AcftRef_Inquiry.aspx

http://www.gama.aero/media-center/industry-facts-and-statistics/shipments-billings

http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2014/08/18/the-most-popular-business-jets-this-is-how-the-eli.aspx

http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2014/08/18/the-most-popular-business-jets-this-is-how-the-eli.aspx

http://www.nycaviation.com/2015/01/best-bizjets-today/#.VsyO6PkrKUl

http://www.boeing.com/commercial/#/orders-deliveries

http://businessaircraft.bombardier.com/en/aircraft

http://www.boeing.com/comercial



http://www.flugzeuginfo.net/index_en.php


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2.13 Wikipedia, "Wikipedia," 23 February 2016. [Online]. Available:

http://www.wikipedia.com . [Accessed 23 February 2016].

2.14 Gulfstream, "Gulfstream G550," 23 February 2016. [Online]. Available:

http//www.gulfstream.com/aircraft/gulfstream-g550 . [Accessed 23 February 2016].

2.15 Embraer, "Phenom 300," 23 February 2016. [Online]. Available:

http//www.embraerexecutivejets.com/en-us/jets/phenom-300/pages/overview.aspx .


http://www.wikipedia.com/


A-1

APPENDIX A UAS DATABASE (CURRENT AS OF EARLY 2016)

Microsoft Excel

97-2003 Worksheet

SEE ASSURE/FAA KSN for EXCEL FILE DATABASE


B-1

APPENDIX B COMMERCIAL TRANSPORT AND BUSINESS JET DATABASE

(CURRENT AS OF EARLY 2016)

SEE ASSURE/FAA KSN for EXCEL FILE DATABASE

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