Presented By: Aerospace Engineering
Fall 2020 - AE285 Seminar Series, Stealth…An Airplane Design Challenge, Grant Carichner, California Polytechnic State University
Grant Carichner
Adjunct Professor
California State Polytechnic University, Pomona
Stealth is a design characteristic that attempts to minimize a reflected signal from an illuminated object. These reflected signals can be radar, IR, visual, or acoustic. For military platforms stealth is one way to improve survivability. In the late 70s the first airplane designed with stealth as its main feature was the F-117A. It proved that major improvements in survivability were possible using entirely new design criteria. All modern military vehicles incorporate stealth to some degree in their design.
However, the challenge is that designing for stealth compromises vehicle performance and cost. In the real world this is a difficult tradeoff. Improved stealth characteristics are very costly and must be considered carefully compared to other characteristics such as speed and altitude.
Before the F-117A there was an earlier airplane that had some major stealth components. Do you know what airplane this is? Find out on Friday.
About the speaker...
Mr. Carichner went to work for the Lockheed Skunk Works after earning his BS in Engineering and MS in Engineering degrees from UCLA. He retired in 2013 after 48 years at the Skunk Works where he worked on most of the company’s high-profile programs. During his career he started out as an aerodynamicist and eventually became Head of Aerodynamics for the Skunk Works. Future program assignments were either Chief Engineer or Program Manager positions. As Chief Engineer for the JASSM Program he was selected as Lockheed’s Inventor of the Year.
The last 15 years of his career were dedicated to lighter-than-air designs. He created the Aerocraft Program whose design resulted in a hybrid airship demonstrator that had many airplane flight characteristics that has changed the course of future airship design.
Currently, Mr. Carichner teaches Airplane Design at Cal Poly Pomona
Mr. Carichner has written two textbooks. One on airplane design and another on airship design. Both books are published by the AIAA.
Fundamentals of Aircraft and Airship Design: Volume I - Aircraft Design
Fundamentals of Aircraft and Airship Design: Volume II - Airship Design and Case Studies
Adjunct Professor
California State Polytechnic University, Pomona
Stealth is a design characteristic that attempts to minimize a reflected signal from an illuminated object. These reflected signals can be radar, IR, visual, or acoustic. For military platforms stealth is one way to improve survivability. In the late 70s the first airplane designed with stealth as its main feature was the F-117A. It proved that major improvements in survivability were possible using entirely new design criteria. All modern military vehicles incorporate stealth to some degree in their design.
However, the challenge is that designing for stealth compromises vehicle performance and cost. In the real world this is a difficult tradeoff. Improved stealth characteristics are very costly and must be considered carefully compared to other characteristics such as speed and altitude.
Before the F-117A there was an earlier airplane that had some major stealth components. Do you know what airplane this is? Find out on Friday.
About the speaker...
Mr. Carichner went to work for the Lockheed Skunk Works after earning his BS in Engineering and MS in Engineering degrees from UCLA. He retired in 2013 after 48 years at the Skunk Works where he worked on most of the company’s high-profile programs. During his career he started out as an aerodynamicist and eventually became Head of Aerodynamics for the Skunk Works. Future program assignments were either Chief Engineer or Program Manager positions. As Chief Engineer for the JASSM Program he was selected as Lockheed’s Inventor of the Year.
The last 15 years of his career were dedicated to lighter-than-air designs. He created the Aerocraft Program whose design resulted in a hybrid airship demonstrator that had many airplane flight characteristics that has changed the course of future airship design.
Currently, Mr. Carichner teaches Airplane Design at Cal Poly Pomona
Mr. Carichner has written two textbooks. One on airplane design and another on airship design. Both books are published by the AIAA.
Fundamentals of Aircraft and Airship Design: Volume I - Aircraft Design
Fundamentals of Aircraft and Airship Design: Volume II - Airship Design and Case Studies
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