Development and Flight Test of a Reconfigurable Avionics Research Pod for the USAF Test Pilot School

Considerable time and money are spent on the modification of fleet-support test aircraft in order to enable carriage of novel research experiments that require in-flight test and demonstration. In many cases, the cost of aircraft modification exceeds the cost of the flight test hardware and flight hours. The USAF Test Pilot School (TPS) has worked closely with the Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT) to develop and flight test the Reconfigurable Airborne Sensor, Communication and Laser (RASCAL) pod. The pod concept will revolutionize the way that USAF TPS conducts Test Management Project training, and will enable rapid transition of cutting-edge technology under development at AFIT and national laboratories to the demanding airborne flight environment. The development and flight test of RASCAL are discussed, as are future concepts of operation expected to be conducted at the USAF TPS.