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2024-01-09
40,000 Hours Can’t Crack This RPA
GA-ASI marked a significant achievement on December 5, 2023, with the completion of full-scale fatigue testing for an MQ-9B RPA. This gruelling simulation, equivalent to 40,000 operating hours or the “first lifetime” of fatigue testing, plays a crucial role in validating the airframe system’s design.
Part of the NATO standard STANAG 4671 certification process, this extensive testing aims to verify the aircraft’s endurance, simulating design service conditions by applying repeated structural loading to the assembled airframe. By identifying potential structural weaknesses early on, the testing helps establish inspection and maintenance schedules for the airframe, ensuring optimal performance during fleet usage.
MQ-9B, encompassing models like SkyGuardian and SeaGuardian, alongside the new Protector RG Mk 1, currently being delivered to the U.K. Royal Air Force, represents GA-ASI’s cutting-edge RPA technology.
Chris Dusseault, Vice President of MQ-9B in Europe, emphasised that this milestone instils confidence in customers, confirming the airframe’s compliance with stringent design standards.
Resilience Evaluation
The fatigue test, a culmination of extensive design and analysis, represents the initial phase of three lifetimes of testing. This multi-phase testing evaluates the aircraft’s resilience under normal conditions and deliberately inflicts damage to assess its resistance to operational challenges.
Conducted at Wichita State University’s National Institute for Aviation Research, this testing utilised a purpose-built production airframe dedicated to the test campaign.
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