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Meeting	ACGS Committee Meeting 103 - Seattle - February 2009
Agenda Location	8 SUBCOMMITTEE Dƒ{DYNAMICS, COMPUTATIONS, AND ANALYSIS 8.2 X-48B Flight Test Program
Title	X-48B Flight Test Program
Presenter	Ken Rossitto
Affiliation	Boeing
Available Downloads*	presentation
	Downloads are available to members who are logged in and either Active* or attended this meeting.
Abstract	Design of the X-48B Blended Wing Body (BWB) Flight Control Demonstrator was initiated in 2001 following the cancellation of the NASA X-48A project. While the research objectives of the X-48B were the same as the X-48A, Phantom Works took a different approach to the vehicle design and construction. Both vehicles were designed to investigate the unique flight characteristics of the BWB configuration and to develop the flight control technology required to safely control such an aircraft. Because development of the X-48B was mostly funded from Boeing IRA&D budgets, the overriding consideration was to develop and test the aircraft within these tight budgets, while still meeting all of the original research objectives. The 8.5% scale of the vehicle was chosen following trade studies on cost and available hardware. Examination of available actuators, engines, and landing gear components drove the choice of vehicle size. Mass properties targets for vehicle design were determined from dynamic scaling relationships. Material esign allowables for new light weight composite fabrication techniques had to be developed. Structural design involved significant optimization to meet the weight and inertia requirements. Testing of actuators, engines, landing gear, and other components was necessary to make certain they met the design equirements. Integration of off-the-shelf sensors and actuators with the custom designed flight control electronics proved more difficult than anticipated. Development of the parachute recovery system for the vehicle had to be reconsidered several times due to testing failures. After the initial engine choice proved to be unreliable, another engine had to be found and integrated mid-program. Challenges such as these continued up to through the preparations for first flight. The team was able to overcome these obstacles through perseverance and good engineering practices. This effort culminated in the successful first flight of the X-48B on July 20, 2007 and forty-three additional flights since, for a total of forty-four flights as of February 11, 2009. This paper examines in more detail the challenges that were faced during the design, construction, and development of the X-48B. While the difficulties of building this aircraft were greater than originally anticipated, the use of dynamically scaled vehicles to test flight control systems before large scale development is of immense value. Recommendations will be given for development of such vehicles so that the hard won lessons of the X-48B program may pave the way for even more economical flight demonstrators in the future. E-mail address for responsible author: norman.h.princen@boeing.com Phone number for responsible author: (714) 235-2562 E-mail address for responsible author: kenneth.f.rossitto@boeing.com Phone number for responsible author: (714) 235-8032