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Diabolo - Technologies and design of next generation fighter aircraft

Left: flow topologies over the DLR-FFD; right: pressure distribution on the upper side, © DLR

The objectives of the DLR project Diabolo are to develop methods and processes for the design and performance assessment of next-generation fighter aircraft configurations. Diabolo is a German Federal Ministry of Defence (BMVg) basic funded research project within DLR research framework of Defence Technology.
In Diabolo technology developments through the entire spectrum of manned and semi-autonomous configurations are considered. The main focus in Diabolo is the design of a generic Future Fighter Demonstrator (DLR-FFD) to capture technological gaps and to demonstrate the design and assessment capabilities of the methods and processes developed at DLR.
The technology spectrum ranges from aerodynamics, structure and aeroelasticity, through control system design, the layout of a control concept and flight mechanics analysis, technologies and the design of a propulsion concept (DLR-FFE - Future Fighter Engine) and the determination of radar, infrared and acoustic signature properties.
The tasks of the Institute of Aerodynamics and Flow Technology in Braunschweig and Göttingen are:

• development of the overall aircraft design environment
• validation of the DLR RANS method TAU for vortex-dominated flows in subsonic and supersonic speeds
• experimental and numerical aerodynamic studies for the design and understanding of the flow physics and aerodynamic performance of fighter aircraft configurations
• numerical aerodynamic multi-point optimization of a DLR-FFD
• design and evaluation of highly integrated engine intakes and thrusters as well as thrust vector concepts
• investigation of dynamic control elements
• further development of high-precision experimental measurement techniques for defense application