F-16 Fighter Aircraft Flight Testing in the Netherlands

P. Koks, National Aerospace Laboratory, NLR, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
J.B. Buijs, Royal Netherlands Air Force, RNLAF, Leeuwarden, The Netherlands

Abstract

Flight test programmes within the Royal Netherlands Air Force (RNLAF) are primarily intended to support the RNLAF main objective to provide safe and cost effective Air Power. F-16 fighter aircraft flight tests are conducted by the Department Operational Research and Evaluation located at the RNLAF head quarters and executed by the Flight Test Office that is an integral part of 323 Squadron. Test flights are prepared and performed in close cooperation with NLR. The RNLAF flight test capabilities include store configuration testing, separation testing, flutter testing, system integration testing and was recently used as technology demonstrator for the next generation fighter aircraft. The test flights are commonly conducted using an F-16B Mid Life Update (MLU) specially equipped for flight testing.

Since 1999 the RNLAF operates the instrumented F-16B MLU aircraft from Leeuwarden Air Force Base. The F-16 is equipped with a data acquisition and recording system, developed, installed and supported by NLR. Besides instrumentation system performance requirements the system meets the demand of the RNLAF to keep the aircraft, even with the instrumentation system installed, fully mission capable. In the period of January 2005 until November 2005 the aircraft was modified to M3 standard at Woensdrecht Air Force Base (AFB). In this period some major improvements of the instrumentation system were implemented to be prepared for the next decade of flight testing.

Flight test data is presented on the On-board Display at the aft crew station, during test flights manned by the Flight Test Engineer (FTE). Using the On-board Display the FTE is able to monitor the progress of the flight test. Data recorded in flight tests is processed on a ground based system for Quick Look (Q/L) purposes immediately after the flight. Data to be used for further analyses is processed at NLR in Amsterdam. Several specialist disciplines (e.g. Flight Physics, Airworthiness Qualification, Store separations, Structural analyses, etc.) within the NLR organization support the RNLAF in its F-16 operations.

An example of a recent programme was the re-certification of the GBU-10 store for the EPAF countries. This programme was prepared in close cooperation with the System Program Office (SPO) and Air Force Seek Eagle Office (AFSEO) at Eglin Air Force Base and executed from Leeuwarden Air Force Base. The original programme was completed within a seven month period with the re-certification of the store by AFSEO.