Transforming Ground and Flight Testing through Digital Engineering
Edward M. Kraft · AIAA Scitech 2020 Forum · 2020
The ongoing digital revolution is transforming all aspects of product development, delivery, operation, and support. Driven by cyber-physical technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT), Cloud Computing, Big Data Analytics, Digital Engineering, and Digital Manufacturing it enables transforming current document-centric processes to a digital, connected, model-based systems engineering environment involving all the advances of the new cyber-physical world. Concepts for transforming ground and flight testing of aeronautical systems employing digital engineering principles and practices are introduced. A value metric for testing based on the quantification and planned mitigation of uncertainty of technical performance measures (TPM) is introduced. Traditional model validation by comparing model output with experimental data is transformed into an improved predictive capability using an integrated validation and calibration process for a digital surrogate response surface model using all heterogeneous data available. Approaches to using quantified margins and uncertainties for TPMs derived from calibrated digital surrogates to project the best way to master risk and reduce the time to achieve an operational capability are presented. Concepts for digital engineering-enabled innovative approaches to air vehicles development and operation are outlined.