Gripen export version has been tested a lifetime
The fatigue testing of the Gripen export version started in November 2003 and recently reached 8,000 flying hours, which is equivalent to Gripen’s service life. The testing is being performed by the Structural Testing department at Saab Aerostructures, one of few companies in the world that manages to perform a complete test of a whole aircraft.
Fatigue testing of the export version is performed on a Gripen airframe, without wings and vertical stabilizer, in a total fatigue rig where the airframe is subject to simulated flight.
“The purpose of the test is to verify the structural alterations on the export version and to ensure the requirement on a longer service life,” says Mats Jonsson, Senior Test Engineer at the Structural Testing department.
During the testing, actual flights are simulated including taxiing, take-off, flight, landing and taxiing, but all flights are different.
“The simulations and the payloads are based on actual flights with different missions,” says Mats Jonsson.
To be able to simulate the various stress factors, 78 hydraulic cylinders are used for load simulation. In the same way, the pressurization of the cockpit, air system and all the fuel tanks is simulated.
Saab in Linköping has a lot of experience in load testing and has since the beginning of the 70s performed fatigue testing of the aircraft structure.
“Now the fatigue testing of the export version will continue and a total of 32,000 flying hours will be performed. Our ambition is to test yet another Gripen service life this year,” says Mats Jonsson.
Back to CNB 2/2005