AFRL-PR-WP-TP-2007-219, ACHIEVING AFRL UNIVERSAL FADEC VISION WITH OPEN ARCHITECTURE ADDRESSING CAPABILITY AND OBSOLESCENCE FOR MILITARY AND COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS (PREPRINT) (NOV 2006)

AFRL-PR-WP-TP-2007-219, ACHIEVING AFRL UNIVERSAL FADEC VISION WITH OPEN ARCHITECTURE ADDRESSING CAPABILITY AND OBSOLESCENCE FOR MILITARY AND COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS (PREPRINT) (NOV 2006)., The United States Air Force (USAF) has an inventory of over 24,000 aircraft with over 47,000 gas turbine engines. Aircraft systems are expensive and must be periodically modernized or upgraded to keep pace with changing threats, missions, and advancing technology. Controls and accessories comprise approximately 1/5 of the total cost of an engine. The main component of the controls system is the Full Authority Digital Engine Control (FADEC). Legacy FADEC systems are both unique and dedicated to a specific weapon system. Today, each FADEC design is unique within its application class. Developing a universal or common standard for engine controls and accessories which includes FADECs would significantly reduce development and support costs across DoD platforms. With engines representing up to 60% of the platform operating costs, modernizing them could provide significant return on investment and avoid the high cost of full system replacement. Obsolescence issues consume considerable funds and manpower and increase the risk to operational missions and the supply pipeline. To minimize the impact obsolesce, technology insertion can provide alternatives that leverage state-of-the art hardware and software to resolve the unavailability of critical parts, enhance performance and decrease cost. These alternatives will be developed through open system architectures with common or “universal” standardized inputs and outputs with improved reliability (reduce failures), common and advanced materials, reusable software, decreased number of components, high- reliability modules and improved manufacturing processes. The universal FADEC system for DoD engines will involve a family of common components. It will consist of a real-time operating system and partitioned application software (AS) structure. These components will significantly ease the strain on the supply and maintenance infrastructure. The universal FADEC vision is to develop a common input/output scheme, open hardware and software architecture, and generic circuit modules. A systems approach will be employed, considering sensors, cabling, connectors, and interface standards, as well as the FADEC electronic hardware and software.