Aerodynamic and Propulsion Test Unit
FaCET Test in the APTU
CountryUnited States
BranchUS Air Force
RoleTest Facility
Nickname(s)APTU

AEDC Aerodynamic and Propulsion Test Unit (APTU) is a blowdown hypersonic wind tunnel driven by a combustion air heater (CAH).[1] The facility is owned by the United States Air Force and operated by Aerospace Testing Alliance.

History

The AEDC Aerodynamic and Propulsion Test Unit started out as a vitiated air heater (VAH) conducting over 275 experiments for the development of many different aerodynamic and aerothermal systems. Upgrades to the facility started in 2002 in order to provide ground-test capability for supersonic and hypersonic systems up to flight speeds of Mach 8.

Capabilities

The facility was designed to provide ground-based simulations of supersonic and hypersonic flight conditions. The combustion air heater can provide total pressures from 200 psia to 2,800 psia (13.6 atm to 190.5 atm) and a total temperatures from 1,200°R to 4,700°R (667 K to 2,611 K). Five nozzles ranging from Mach 3.2 to Mach 7.1 are currently available.[2]

See also

References

  1. "AEDC reaches major milestone with hypersonic engine testing". Archived from the original on 2010-07-31. Retrieved 2012-01-10.
  2. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-12-26. Retrieved 2012-01-10.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
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