Aerial Warfare Engineering

Overview

What you will learn

On successful completion of the Aerial Warfare Engineering course offered by Cranfield University you will be able to:

• Explain and quantify the trends in fast jet design and how these are exploited in air operations.

• Describe the methods and difficulties to satisfy different design requirements for current and future aerial warfare.

• Explain the concept of an air engagement, specific excess power, aircraft performance estimation and comparison.

• Quantify the performance characteristics attainable from different aerodynamic, structural and flight dynamic point-of-view.

• Describe the techniques for RCS and thermal signature reduction and quantify the effect of low observable technology in aircraft performance and design

• Use concepts of manoeuvrability, agility metrics, and energy level to establish the capabilities and applications of fighter jets.

• Identify current and future problems in aerial warfare and propose and discuss solutions.

• Describe the effect of fast jet performance in operational scenarios.

• Outline air-to-air and air-to-ground operational profiles and translate them into operational requirements.

• Analyse the basic performance of current fast  jets.

• Deduce information on the likely capabilities and limitations of fast jets based on open source data.

• Select and assess appropriate requirements for fast jet design depending on operational specifications.

• Draft conceptual design and trade-off studies, operational requirements, acquisition decisions and airframe analysis, and source selection.

• Understand and portray aerial warfare operations, provide threat and scenario definitions and set-ups, generate appropriate operational concepts in defined mission areas.

• Analytical skills in missile flights dynamics and aerial warfare engagements.