Energy-Maneuverability Method for Aircraft Performance Calculations

Piotr ZALEWSKI; Piotr ZALEWSKI

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Title: Energy-Maneuverability Method for Aircraft Performance Calculations

Abstract:

During the Vietnam War, the Americans faced a problem with assessing the performance of Soviet combat aircraft. Therefore, the so-called Energy-Maneuverability (E-M) method was developed. Based on the cited method, ALR Aerospace has developed a commercial program used for preliminary calculations of aircraft performance. Recently, 5th generation aircraft such as the F-22 and the F-35 in America, the Su-57 in Russia and the J-20 in China have entered service, but little is known about their performance, just as it was the case during the Vietnam War. The author used the E-M method to calculate the so-called aircraft maneuver envelopes, allowing him to determine key aircraft performance metrics and features determining the superiority of jet fighters – e.g. maneuverability. However, the lack of relevant aircraft data (such information is not usually disclosed by manufactures) posed a significant problem. Therefore, the authors used the reverse-engineering method to determine aircraft parameters and characteristics in order to use them as input data for ALR software. Having completed their work, the authors obtained a set of aircraft characteristics and performance metrics allowing them to assess the capabilities of fighter jets and to determine the needs concerning air defense systems. The results have confirmed that the E-M method still remains effective, despite the fact that more than 70 years have passed since it was first introduced.