SLOSHING MECHANICAL MODEL FOR STABILITY AND HANDLING QUALITIES EVALUATION OF THE C 295 AIRCRAFT WITH THE OSD SYSTEM

Airbus Military is developing a version of the C295 military aircraft with an Oil Spill Dispersant (OSD) system to be used as an airborne platform capable of dissolving marine oil spills that cause high environmental contamination and economic losses. A sloshing mechanical model was developed to evaluate the impact of the dispersant sloshing on the aircraft dynamics. Effects on aircraft stability, handling qualities and Pilot Induced Oscillations (PIO) sensitivity characteristics were assessed carrying out exhaustive simulations analyses prior to the maiden flight. Sloshing model validation was supported by Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations and a dedicated flight test campaign. This paper is structured in line with the evolution of the OSD program, starting from the development of the sloshing mechanical model and concluding with the flight test campaign results.