Michael Bird
Published: 1977
Total Pages: 297
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Proliferation of advanced weapon systems and increasingly complex aircraft, coupled with multiple control of aircraft in a tactical environment, has placed a demanding workload on the aircrew. This report summarizes the studies and analyses to more efficiently accomplish man-machine interaction with the flight control system, the weapon systems, and the navigation system. A detailed trade-off study was performed to determine the accuracies of navigation systems that would be required to meet performance goals with both precision inertial reference units and strapdown inertial units. Operation, with messages incoming to the cockpit via data link, was evaluated and a pilot-in-the-loop simulation was accomplished to determine an acceptable method to keep the pilot informed of command and control directives. Methods for entering this data into the guidance and control system were also analyzed. In the approach used, the cockpit consisted of CRT displays and a real-time trajectory generation routine. The data-linked information was entered directly into the central processor and acted upon by the trajectory generation. This information was then displayed to the pilot for approval/disapproval prior to being incorporated into the active flight plan. A brief discussion of follow-on recommendations is also presented. (Author).