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Acoustic Engineering involves multiple technical disciplines directed towards the goal of detecting underwater acoustic phenomena, primarily in support of the US Navy. NASC’s Advanced Acoustics Sector engineers have decades of experience in every aspect of system development, from environmental research and oceanographic system design to materials research and signal processor design. NASC incorporates advanced technology and innovative concepts to design increasingly complex systems. We have all the tools required to develop these systems, including oceanographic and acoustic modeling, FEA stress and vibration analysis tools, electronic circuit board design, acoustic calibrators, open water test facilities and signal processing development software.

These capabilities have been successfully utilized in the development of many advanced systems. We have developed a compact autonomous underwater vehicle. We have developed an air launch system to provide improved sensor location accuracy following air launch. We have developed improved active and passive transducer systems, providing improved performance in smaller packages. We have developed self-deploying underwater mechanical structures which form the framework for large arrays of transducers. We have developed miniature electronics which enable us to collect data from a large number of individual acoustic sensors deployed as a large aperture array. Our design and fabrication team have both the experience and the tools to provide solutions to our customer’s undersea challenges.

Peter Ulrich, Advanced Acoustics Project Manager

Aerodynamic performance of our UAV products is critical to satisfying customer requirements. We address all aspects of flight performance, take-off roll-out, climb rate, cruise speed, maximum service ceiling, and endurance which are affected by lift, drag, and aircraft stability. We also address aircraft structural strength. This affects weight and assures that there is sufficient strength to accommodate the aircraft maneuvering flight profile. Additionally, we conduct structural tests to verify that our strength design goals are met.

To accommodate various payload configurations, we modify the aircraft fuselage as required, typically the nose. These modifications are supported by analysis to determine the impact on aircraft drag and stability. Our aerodynamic analysis tools help us design the most efficient shape to minimize the impact of drag and determine optimum center of gravity location so that aircraft stability is not affected by fuselage modification and payload configurations. We conduct Computational Fluid Dynamic analyses to improve the design of winglets, wings, and to analyze flow around propellers and engine inlets. We also conduct engine performance tests to determine thrust, fuel consumption, engine temperature, and acoustic output.

Carl Calianno, Director, Science & Technology

The NASC avionics engineering design approach always starts with a very clear definition of the requirements and constraints. Once candidate avionics components are identified, we balance size, weight, and power requirements with cost, availability, and compatibility with other components that will form the overall system. Once the preliminary design is complete we hold the Preliminary Design Review and based on the outcome we complete the final design which must be approved at the Critical Design Review before being released for prototype fabrication or production, depending on the scope of the project. Our extensive experience over more than 10 years of integrating over 20 different payloads has made NASC the go-to UAS company for Group 3 unmanned aircraft systems.

Carl Engelbert, Vice President Airborne Systems Engineering and Production

The NASC Electro-Optics (EO) Department is very responsive to sponsor/customer needs, identified as a new requirement for enhanced or newly established sensor performance. The design and application process involves an interaction with Mission Specialists, UAV Pilots and Data Analysts, to establish the optimum design of a sensor suite, in an effort to meet new requirements of a CONOPS. The EO department analyzes a customer’s mission need and develops an integrated sensor solution with microwave radar, turret based optical systems or a combination of both. Our services also provide the customer with custom-designed Ground Control Stations (GCS) responsible for processing imagery and data downloaded from the UAV via an RF communications link from the UAV platform.

Peter Raiti, Senior Electro-Optical Systems Engineer

The NASC mechanical engineering design approach is similar to other disciplines in that we try to balance the pros and cons of weight, cost, availability, time, and strength. What may differentiate UAV design is the importance placed on weight and time – weight affects the overall endurance and every customer wants their product as soon as possible. We use readily available aviation grade metals, woods, and composites and apply Finite Element Analysis to design the lightest and strongest parts while leveraging 3D CAD design, and CFD software to reduce design cycle iterations and decrease the concept to production time. We strive to keep designs as simple as possible and avoid unnecessarily complicated components and improve manufacturability. We’ve also become very adept at designing composite materials like carbon fiber or fiberglass, which can provide unique and beautifully utilitarian designs.

Charles Lee, Senior Mechanical Engineer