Aircraft_Specifications.docx

NOAA HIGH ALTITUDE JET AIRCRAFT, WITH MODIFICATIONS

Aircraft Specifications

I. Base Aircraft Description

The basic airframe (‘green aircraft’) shall be a new multi-engine, transport category jet aircraft meeting the requirements of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 25 (14CFR25) and that meets or exceeds the Capabilities listed below. The aircraft shall have a current and valid U.S. Airworthiness Certificate showing certification by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to 14CFR21. The aircraft shall be free of any significant damage history during manufacture and modification, and have all mandatory Airworthiness Directives, manufacturer’s mandatory Service Bulletins and mandatory Aircraft Service Changes completed before delivery. All installations / modifications are to be FAA certified to part 25 or the aircraft type certificate whichever is more stringent. An approved FAA Form 337, or Supplemental Type Certificate, shall accompany all contractor-supplied modifications, to include supporting aeronautical documentation and engineering drawings and schematics.

II. Aircraft Capabilities

The aircraft shall have the following capabilities. Note that some terminology is based on the current NOAA GIV-SP; similar characteristics presented in a different format are acceptable, as long as they can be related to the terms listed below:

A. A service ceiling of at least 45,000 feet International Standard Atmosphere (ISA); however, a higher service ceiling is desired.

B. Long range cruise speed of at least .80 Mach (faster is desired).

C. NBAA IFR range with Max. Fuel and available payload at least 4200 nautical miles; however, a longer range is desired.

D. Payload (cabin seats, racks, science equipment, baggage and cabin personnel) capacity of at least 4,500 pounds.

E. Certified for flight in day and night Instrument Flight Rule and Visual Flight Rule conditions, and flight into known icing conditions.

F. Capable of 14CFR91 Category II performance standards.

G. Certified to 14CFR36 Stage 4 Noise Standards.

H. Comply with ICAO Annex 8 for international operations, be certified for operation in the North Atlantic Track (NAT) system and be approved for Reduced Vertical Separation Minimum (RVSM) operation.

I. Have seating, floor area and carrying capacity for at least ten (10) persons plus 3 crew (2 pilots plus jump-seat) plus floor space for eight (8) equipment racks (approx. footprint 37 by 21 inches), each weighing up to 386 pounds (rack plus equipment).

III. Aircraft Equipment

A. Have exterior and cockpit lighting as appropriate for this class of aircraft.

B. Have radios, navigation systems, required safety avionics (e.g. TCAS, EGPWS, ADS-B and FANS-1/A) and weather avoidance radar as appropriate for this class of aircraft operating in the conditions and regions listed above. If not already standard, a multi-level scanning weather radar (examples are the Collins WXR-2100 and the Honeywell RDR-4000), integrated into the cockpit avionics display(s) is desired. A highly desired enhancement is to provide the radar display at one or more of the cabin seat locations, using a stand-alone display unit. An additional desired capability is to allow a cabin seat location to control the radar settings (range and tilt) at the pilot’s discretion. These last two desired enhancements are similar to the capability currently available on the NOAA GIV-SP.

C. Have interior closeout for cabin lighting and noise reduction, and an externally serviced lavatory. Provide an Internal Communication System for all cockpit and cabin seating locations, with at least two independent intraship audio channels and the ability to monitor all communication radios from each seating location. Provide lighting, gaspers, and other Personal Service Unit (PSU) facilities at all cabin seating locations.

D. Have passenger oxygen (diluter/demand masks with bottle oxygen supply) and other safety infrastructure appropriate for this class of aircraft to operate over water and internationally. Capacity sufficient to provide 3 hours of emergency oxygen for all cockpit and cabin personnel at a cabin altitude of 25,000 feet is required.

IV. Required Provisions for Scientific Systems

The items on the list below are required, with optional desired enhancements as noted.

A. Scientific Power

1. At least 23 KVA of 115V 3-phase, 400 Hz power available for mission systems, higher power capacity from the standard aircraft configuration is desired, but specialized generating equipment is not desired.

2. At least 4 KVA of 115V single phase 60 Hz power shall be available for mission use, provided by converting a portion of the available 400 Hz mission power.

3. A minimum of 3 KVA of 115V single phase uninterruptable power (UPS) shall be available for mission use, either derived from the 400 Hz mission power or from a DC source that provides battery backup.

4. A minimum of 20 amps of 28V DC power is required, derived from an aircraft 28 V DC bus or by converting a portion of the AC mission power; however, higher capacity is desired.

5. Control and relay circuits shall be included to automatically deactivate all mission system power except the UPS in the event of single generator operation or manual deactivation by the pilot, with override provisions for ground operation on APU, single engine or external power. The UPS subsystem shall have a separate manual deactivation switch accessible to the pilot.

6. Specifics of mission power distribution will be included in the RFP if/when it is issued.

B. Floor attachments for racks and seats – appropriate seat track or other fittings to allow attachment of mission equipment racks and seats in the cabin. Desired to have flexibility in certified configurations and attach locations to allow for changing mission equipment requirements. Wall and/or ceiling attach points may be included if rack weight and Center of Gravity (CG) desired limits necessitate additional attach points.

C. Satellite Communication

1. An Inmarsat-based system for voice and data. Desired enhancement of a dual system for redundancy

a. Two channels of voice communications, with one handset in the cockpit and at least one in the cabin. Both channels of audio to be available as listen-only selections on the ICS system. A desired enhancement is the ability to move location of cabin handset(s) to meet varying cabin configurations.

b. Data services with at least the speed provided by SwiftBroadband coupled with a High Gain Antenna, with Ethernet network connection. Desired enhancement of a higher speed service with similar coverage area and a single provider service, such as Global Xpress.

2. An Iridium-based system for voice and data

a. At least one channel of voice communications, with handset in the cabin. Desired enhancements: Second channel with handset in the cockpit, all channels of audio to be available as listen-only selections on the ICS system, and the ability to move location of cabin handset to meet varying cabin configurations.

b. Data services of at least 4800 bps with Ethernet network connection. Desired enhancement of a higher speed service, either through a multi-channel combiner or Iridium-Next.

c. Iridium based Sky Connect tracking system with automatic reporting of time stamped position, altitude, ground speed, and ground track information.

D. Network Infrastructure – Runs of copper and fiber optic network cabling from rack and equipment locations to a patch panel, with provisions for network equipment (routers and/or switches) in the same location (network closet or similar); specifics of cable type, connectors and locations to be determined if/when an RFP is issued.

E. Tail Doppler Radar (TDR)

1. Tail-mounted radome to enclose antenna assembly for vertically scanning radar, similar to system installed on NOAA P-3 and GIV-SP. Includes vertical mounting plate for antenna pedestal base. The minimum radome size is sufficient to house current GIV-SP antenna assembly (current radome is approx. 44 inches interior diameter); radome to accommodate larger antenna assembly is desired, but may need to evaluate tradeoff with performance loss due to increased drag.

2. Dual X-band (WR-112 or WR-90) waveguide runs from tail pedestal to pressurized cabin, including penetration of aft pressure bulkhead. Wiring run (motor drive and position, specific wire types and quantities to be determined if/when an RFP is issued) from pedestal to pressurized cabin, including bulkhead connector at aft pressure bulkhead.

3. Depending on aircraft layout and limitations, it may be desired to mount TDR electronics (approx. 45 inches of vertical 19 inch EIA/ECA-310 rack space) in an aft baggage compartment to minimize waveguide length and reduce cabin noise. If not mounted in the baggage compartment, additional waveguide runs to the equipment location in the main cabin will be required.

F. Airborne Vertical Atmospheric Profiling System (AVAPS) The AVAPS consists of an expendable unit (the dropsonde), a launch chute assembly in the aircraft, antennas for telemetry (400 MHz VHF, mounted under the aircraft) and GPS (L1/L2 band, mounted on top of aircraft), and a receiver/processor system, which is rack mounted in the cabin. More information about the AVAPS can be found at https://www.eol.ucar.edu/node/10082.

1. A dropsonde launch chute is required, with location and design determined to allow for launch of expendables with adequate separation from the aircraft and without excessive g-loads or tumbling upon launch. If the launch chute location is in the baggage compartment or other area with limited access, it is anticipated that the Government would provide an automated launcher similar to that used on the NCAR HIAPER aircraft, to be attached to the chute provided. It is likely that the smaller ‘mini’ dropsonde (1.75 inches diameter, by approx. 12 inches long) would be used, rather than the larger dropsonde currently used on the NOAA GIV-SP.

2. Installation of up-looking (GPS) and down-looking (VHF Telemetry) antennas, with coaxial cabling to a cabin location to be determined if/when an RFP is issued. Antenna locations to be selected to maximize field of view and minimize coaxial cable distance to AVAPS rack-mounted receiver equipment.

V. Optional Provisions for Scientific Systems

The following items may be listed as either optional or required if a solicitation is issued:

A. Cabin Seats – track-mounted, with fore-aft, lateral and vertical adjustments, FAA certified for takeoff and landing, with four- or five-point restraint systems. Quantity to be determined by cabin layout and number of unique seat types (e.g. if seats are designed for left- or right-side only).

B. Equipment Racks – single-bay, conforming to 19” EIA/ECA-310 standards, minimum of 44” vertical height (higher is desired), minimum of 386 lbs. weight capacity with CG 25” above floor, decreasing to a minimum of 200 lbs. with equipment CG 47” above the floor, higher weight and CG limits desired, but not at the expense of excessive rack frame weight. Racks and rack limits are to be certified for FAA-required aircraft g-loads. Quantity to be determined by cabin layout and number of unique rack types (e.g. if racks are designed for left- or right-side only).

C. Wing Hard Points – Up to six wing stations (three on each side) with threaded holes and wiring to allow for mounting pylons and instrument pods. Highly desired that the mounting provisions and capabilities be identical to the wing hard points on the NCAR HIAPER aircraft. See the HIAPER Investigator’s Handbook https://www.eol.ucar.edu/content/nsfncar-hiaper-investigator-handbook, Chapter 5 for more information.

D. Fuselage Mounting Provisions – Some combination of Aperture Pads and Plates (approx. 7”x10” opening), Mounts (plates for attaching inlets, etc.), Pads (plates with 2” diameter hole for sensors), Window Blanks, and Optical View Ports (20.5” ports) is desired. Specific types, quantities and locations are to be determined if/when an RFP is issued. It is highly desired that each type conform to the form factor and load capabilities of the equivalent provision on NCAR HIAPER aircraft, although the quantity and specific locations may vary from the HIAPER configuration. See the HIAPER Investigator’s Handbook https://www.eol.ucar.edu/content/nsfncar-hiaper-investigator-handbook, Chapter 5 for more information.

E. Secondary launch chute – Provisions for a launch chute in the cabin area, consisting of a circular tube from the floor to the external skin, approximately 7” internal diameter, angled similar to the chute on N49RF. Initial delivery would be with a plug installed that was flat to the cabin floor and contoured to the external skin. Provisions for installing a pressurized launch mechanism (e.g. circular flange at floor level with mounting holes) would be required, but the actual launch mechanism would not be included.

VI. Aircraft Availability

The desired time frame is delivery of the base (green) aircraft with Equipment and Required Provisions (as stated in Sections III and IV above) within 18 months of Contract award. It is understood that Enhanced and Optional provisions may extend that time line.