Simulations used in the development and flight test of the HiMAT vehicle

Real-time simulations have been essential in the flight-test program of the highly maneuverable aircraft technology (HiMAT) remotely piloted research vehicle at the Dryden Flight Research Facility of NASA Ames Research Center. The HiMAT project makes extensive use of simulations in design, development, and qualification for flight, pilot training, and flight planning. Four distinct simulations, each with varying amounts of hardware in the loop, were developed for the HiMAT project. The use of simulations has been the key to flight qualification of the HiMAT vehicle. Specifically, they are useful in detecting anomalous behavior of the flight software and hardware at the various stages of development, verification, and validation.