Abstract
The QinetiQ Aerospace Consultancy group has been actively developing and applying process automation and optimisation capabilities in support of air vehicle assessment and design for over 20 years. These capabilities have evolved greatly during this timeframe from their initial origins as research activities, into mature capabilities for underpinning decision making in both civil and military air vehicle projects. In parallel the same generic approaches have also found usage in weapons, maritime and motorsport design. In recent years effort has focussed on enhancing a number of different, but complementary, capabilities at QinetiQ, each of which have different advantages and disadvantages, but which together better address the needs of air vehicle assessment and design. These capabilities are linked by a common requirement to assess widely differing characteristics concurrently, in order to model the consequences of design decisions, such as technology and system choices, in terms of the overall impact on an air vehicle project. This paper describes these tools in the context of their use within the Integrated Wing project.