Actuation System Requirements for Advanced Short Take-Off and Vertical Landing Powerplants

Most of the powerplant concepts currently being studied for advanced short take-off and vertical landing ASTOVL) aircraft require significantly more actuation than conventional powerplants. This paper highlights the challenge being faced by the powerplant and acuation system designers to produce an acceptable solution. Typical concepts and their operation are described, and using this as a basis, it is shown that the actuation system will impact significantly on the viability of the concepts. Most of the actuated features are flight safety critical in the jet-borne flight regime, and considerable care will be needed to achieve a safe system without unacceptable penalties on cost, weight and reliability. The projected timescale of the ASTOVL aircraft (entry into service in 2010) means that there is time for radical solutions to be developed and work to achieve these solutions is already underway.