NASA's rotorcraft icing research program

The objective of the NASA aircraft icing research program is to develop and make available icing technology to support the needs and requirements of industry for all weather aircraft designs. While a majority of the technology being developed is viewed to be generic (i.e., appropriate to all vehicle classes), vehicle specific emphasis is being placed on the helicopter due to its unique icing problems. In particular, some of the considerations for rotorcraft icing are indicated. The NASA icing research program emphasizes technology development in two key areas: ice protection concepts and icing simulation (analytical and experimental). The NASA research efforts related to rotorcraft icing in these two technology areas will be reviewed.