Overview of feasibility study on conducting overflight measurements of shaped sonic boom signatures using RPV's

Before beginning this presentation, it is appropriate to acknowledge the sincere interest and financial support provided by the NASA LaRC under contract NAS9-17900. An outline of the material to be used in the present paper is given. It begins with a indication of the origin and objectives of the feasibility study. This is followed by a discussion of various simulation methods of establishing the persistence of shaped sonic boom signatures to large distances including the use of recoverable RPV/drones. The desirable features to be sought out in an RPV along with a rationale for the selection of a 'shaped' sonic boom signature will be addressed. Three candidate vehicles are examined as to their suitability with respect to a number of factors, in particular, modifiability. Area distributions and associated sonic boom signatures of the basic and modified Firebee vehicle will also be shown. An indication of the scope of the proposed wind tunnel and flight test programs will be presented including measurement technologies and predicted waveforms. Finally, some remarks will be made summarizing the study and highlighting the key findings.