The effects of the airborne environment on a pointing and tracking system using a turret external to an aircraft are summarized. The data covered a series of flight tests and a span of seven years. The two major airborne effects were shown to be direct pressure loading of optical elements and vibrations of the entire turret. The direct optical loading problem was minimized by fence designs for the turret.
Topics: NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS), AIRBORNE EQUIPMENT, AIRCRAFT STRUCTURES, ATMOSPHERIC EFFECTS,...