23rd Congress of International Council of the Aeronautical Sciences, 8-13 September, 2002, Toronto, Canada
Paper ICAS 2002-0.6

THE CANADIAN AND AUSTRALIAN F/A-18 INTERNATIONAL FOLLOW-ON STRUCTURAL TEST PROJECT

D. L. Simpson (1), N. Landry (2), J. Roussel (3), L. Molent (4), A. D. Graham (4), N. Schmidt
(1) IAR/NRC, Canada; (2) Department of National Defence, Canada; (3) Bombardier Aerospace Defence Services Mirabel, Canada; (4) Defence Science and Technology Organisation, Australia; (5) RAAF Williams, Laverton, Australia

Keywords: aircraft, structural testing, spectrum, f/a-18, ifostp

Both the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) and Canadian Forces (CF) operate the Boeing F/A-18 in a non-aircraft carrier role. This has resulted in operational usage quite different to that specified by the United States Navy (USN) for airframe certification. Given similarities in operational usage, airframe configuration and airframe management philosophies, the RAAF and CF embarked on a significant collaborative project known as the International Follow-On Structural Test Project (IFOSTP). IFOSTP consists of three separate and major full-scale fatigue tests supported by flight trials and load development programs. This paper summarizes IFOSTP, indicating significant new developments in the art of fatigue testing and highlights the benefits of collaboration.

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