Abstract
The trends of major landing gear design parameters are presented reflecting the developments in aircraft performance over the last two decades. These trends illustrate the likely requirements for the future and identify the differences between civil and military landing gears.
The aircraft manufacturer will inevitably demand a lower mass landing gear, increased service life and lower support costs of the product, the latter now becoming increasingly important. The method of achieving lower support costs, known as integrated logistic support, is summarized, highlighting the relevance to landing gear design.
A number of likely changes required to meet future aircraft demands are discussed and how they will test the innovation and ingenuity of the landing gear designer.
Key areas include, (a) stringent turn-round requirements demanded by aircraft operators, (b) computer control of actuation, nose wheel steering and wheel brake control systems and (c) the advent of advanced suspension systems, particularly for military STOVL and repaired runway operations.
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