Affordable and Lightweight Composite Airdrop Platform

Abstract

As the Army transitions to a Future Combat System (FCS)-equipped force, lightweight and durable airdrop platforms will increasingly be needed to sustain operations over an expanded non-linear battlefield. The Army plans to procure the recently developed aluminum Enhanced Container Delivery System (ECDS) airdrop platform to deliver total rigged weights up to 10,000 pounds. The ECDS platform has been linked to the Joint Precision Airdrop System-Light (JPADS-L), a high-altitude precision airdrop system, currently under development for the delivery of total rigged weights between 2,001 lbs and 10,000 lbs. Application of advanced composite materials will improve the ECDS platform's performance from a strength and stiffness standpoint to allow for high-altitude JPADS missions. In addition to reduced procurement cost, the lightweight composite ECDS platform will be more durable and less prone to galvanic corrosion, thereby decreasing lifecycle cost. Under a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program managed by the U.S. Army Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center (NSRDEC), the current aluminum Type V and ECDS platforms were both examined for possible composite replacement. Through a combination of finite element analysis (FEA), testing, and costmodeling, a composite Type V platform design was developed that would result in weight and procurement cost savings of approximately 30 and 20 percent respectively versus the existing aluminum platform system. Similarly, a composite ECDS platform design was developed that will save greater than 25 percent on weight with no increase in procurement price versus the existing aluminum platform. Composite ECDS platform weight savings would provide an additional 190 to 200 lbs in payload capacity. As part of this research program, four prototype composite ECDS platforms (108" long x 88" wide) are being fabricated using the Vacuum Assisted Resin Transfer Molding (VARTM) method, which is the most cost-effective integral manufacturing process. The first composite ECDS prototype underwent suspension, pull, and roller qualification testing at the US Army NSRDEC's Roller Test Facility. Subsequent airdrop flight tests will be performed at the U.S. Army Yuma Proving Ground on the four composite ECDS prototypes.