Thrust-vectoring turbofan jet-engine analysis

Engine thrust vectoring (TV) is an emerging new technology for future military and civil aircraft in which the Technion has made significant contributions. Rapidly deflecting engine jets to maneuver the ah-craft with or without conventional aerodynamic flight control (CAFC) significantly enhances the flight safety, agility, and combat kill-ratio capabilities of fighter aircraft in the near term and enhances the safety of civil transport jets in the long term. There are yet no realistic predictions of engine dynamic responses to yaw-pitch-roll TV commands in the public domain. Hence, the primary aim of this work is to provide such a first. The results obtained comprise, therefore, a required fundamental step for advanced aircraft/TV implementation. The selection of this work focuses on the Lockheed-Martin TV F-16/F-100 research study conducted at the Technion. A unique TV-engine computer algorithm has been developed that expands the conventional steady-state modeling capabilities of on- and off-design as well as the conventional transients (via throttle changes) to create realistic dynamic TV-engine simulations at various altitudes and Mach numbers. This work has been expanded to include predictions for TV in civil aircraft (via a fixed geometry nozzle) under the same conditions. It is concluded that the military TV configuration, as expected, produces no variations in engine performance while providing TV night control benefits. It is also demonstrated that under the same dynamic conditions, the civil configuration provides an increase in thrust, enhancing the benefits available from TV in the civil domain.