EC95-43338-3
Project: Advanced Controls Technology for Integrated Vehicles (ACTIVE)
This November 13, 1995 photograph of the underside of the F-15B ACTIVE project at NASA’s Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, CA, showed the thrust stand being used for ground testing of a new thrust-vectoring concept.
The twin-engine F-15B research aircraft was equipped with new Pratt & Whitney nozzles that could turn up to 20 degrees in any direction. The nozzles gave the aircraft thrust control in the pitch (up and down) and yaw (left and right) directions. This reduced drag and increased fuel economy or range as compared with conventional aerodynamic controls, which increase the retarding forces (drag) acting upon the aircraft.
Ground testing during the first two weeks of November 1995 went well, and flight tests began in March 1996. These tests could result in significant performance increases for military and commercial aircraft. The research project was a collaborative effort by NASA, the Air Force’s Wright Laboratory, Pratt & Whitney, and McDonnell Douglas Aerospace.13 Nov 1995NASA Photo› F-15 ACTIVE Project Description