High Fidelity Rotorcraft Towing Modeling and Simulation with Towed Magnetic Anomaly Detection System

Towing of a Magnetic Anomaly Detection (MAD) system is an important aspect of rotorcraft maritime operation in support of Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW). The vibratory rotary wing platform combined with the long and flexible towing cable, the low mass ratio of the towed body to the total mass (the sum of the tow body and the towing aircraft), and the rotor downwash impingement on the towed body during deployment presents a challenging task for integration of a modern towed MAD system on USN airborne ASW platforms. Phase I of the proposed research emphasizes towing simulation methodology research and development. Phase I will also carry out a full flight simulation with a towed body to demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed simulation method. Overall, Phase I will accomplish (1) the development of a high fidelity aircraft simulation model for accurately capturing both the steady state performance and the vibratory characteristics of the towing operation; (2) the development of a state-of-the-art model for the interference of the towing aircraft rotor wake on the towed body; (3) the development of high fidelity dynamics and aerodynamics modelling of the towing system including the towing cable, the towed body, and the cable attachment device; (4) the performance of a full flight simulation with the integrated towing aircraft and towing system; (5) the performance of initial parametric studies to investigate the towed body aerodynamic and dynamic characteristics including the effects of body geometry, size, mass/inertia/CG, aerodynamic stabilizing surfaces, etc.