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The ACARE 2020 vision for commercial transport aircraft targets a 50% reduction per passenger kilometer in fuel consumption and CO2 emissions, with a 20-25% reduction to be achieved through airframe improvements. This step change in performance is dependent on the successful integration and down-selection of breakthrough technologies at early stage of aircraft development process, supported by advanced multidisciplinary design capabilities. Conceptual design capabilities, integrating more disciplines are routinely used at Future Project Office. The challenge considered here is to transition smoothly from conceptual to preliminary design whilst maintaining a true multidisciplinary approach. The design space must be progressively constrained, whilst at the same time increasing the level of modelling fidelity and keeping as many design options open for as long as possible.

Within the European Integrated Project NACRE (New Aircraft Concept REsearch) led by Airbus, a team of research centers and universities developed a multidisciplinary flying testbed called IEP (Innovative Evaluation Platform). Under the form of a dynamically scaled model of a future civil transport aircraft, its role is to assist engineers during the assessment of flight dynamics characteristics and noise reduction capabilities. After the feasibility study during which potential scientific and economical benefits of such new test facility have been identified, the team decided to design and manufacture the IEP. Because of the dual aspect of the system (it is a flying unmanned aerial vehicle and a test facility), an extensive requirement analysis has been carried out by the partners in order to identify the necessary operational modes and their associated navigation and control strategies.