NASA 

National Aeronautics and 

Facts

Space Administration 

Dryden Flight Research Center 

P.O. Box 273

Edwards, California 93523 

Voice 661-276-3449 

FAX 661-276-3566 

pao@dfrc.nasa.gov FS-2002-06-025-DFRC 

HiMAT

Highly Maneuverable Aircraft Technology

HiMAT remotely piloted research vehicle EC 14281 

From mid-1979 to January 1983, two remotely piloted, experimental Highly Maneuverable Aircraft Technology 

(HiMAT) vehicles were used at the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards, Calif., to develop high-performance fighter technologies that would be applied to later aircraft. Each aircraft was approximately half the size of an F-16 

and had nearly twice the fighter's turning capability. 

HiMAT research at Dryden was conducted jointly by NASA and the Air Force Flight Dynamics Laboratory, 

Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. Because the planes were controlled from a ground station, experimental technologies and high-risk maneuverability tests could be employed without endangering pilots. The aircraft were flown 26 times 

during the 3 1/2 year history of the program.

 HiMAT experiments provided information on integrated, computerized controls; design features such as 

aeroelastic tailoring, close-coupled canards and winglets; the application of new composite materials; a digital integrated 

propulsion control system; and the interaction of these then-new technologies with one another. 

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HiMAT Design 

The partners in the design of the two HiMAT 

vehicles were NASA's Ames Research Center, Moffett 

Field, Calif., and Dryden Flight Research Center and the 

contractor, Rockwell International. The three partners 

sought to bring the vehicles into flight status quickly by 

eliminating many tests that would have been required for a 

piloted vehicle. They took a high-risk approach to design 

by extensive use of unproven computational design tools 

developed at Ames. This resulted in a drastic reduction of 

wind-tunnel testing times but made it necessary to devote 

several flights to deriving stability and control data. 

The HiMAT plane's rear-mounted swept wings, 

digital flight control system, and forward controllable 

canard made the plane's turn radius twice as tight as that of 

conventional fighter planes. At near the speed of sound and 

at an altitude of 25,000 feet, the HiMAT vehicle could 

substain an 8-G turn (that is, one producing acceleration 

equal to 8 times that of gravity). By comparison, at the 

same altitude, an F-16's maximum sustained turning 

capability is about 4.5 Gs. 

Three-view drawing of HiMAT vehicle. 

The HiMAT vehicle was 23.5 feet long, with a 

wingspan of just under 16 feet. It was powered by a General Electric J-85-21 turbojet, which produced 5,000 

pounds of static thrust at sea level. At launch, the HiMAT 

planes weighed 4,030 pounds (including 660 pounds of 

fuel). They had a top speed of Mach 1.4 (1.4 times the 

speed of sound). About 30 percent of the materials used to 

construct the aircraft were experimental composites, mainly 

fiberglass and graphite-epoxy. The cost of both vehicles 

was $17.3 million.

 The small aircraft were launched from NASA's B52 carrier plane at an altitude of approximately 45,000 feet. 

Each HiMAT plane had a digital on-board computer system 

and was flown remotely by a NASA research pilot from a 

ground station with the aid of a television camera mounted 

in the cockpit. There was also a TF-104G chase aircraft 

with backup controls if the remote pilot lost ground control.

 Flying the HiMAT from the ground cockpit, using 

the microprocessor-based digital fly-by-wire control 

system, employed control techniques similar to those used 

in conventional aircraft. However, design of the vehicle's 

control laws had proved to be extremely challenging. After 

the research portion of the flight concluded, the pilot would 

land the HiMAT plane on the dry lakebed adjacent to 

Dryden.

 An interesting aspect of the HiMAT program was 

the flight test maneuver autopilot, which was based on a 

design developed by Teledyne Ryan Aeronautical. 

Teledyne also developed the backup flight control system 

for the aircraft (with modifications done by Dryden engineers). The autopilot system provided precise, repeatable 

control of the vehicle during prescribed maneuvers so that 

large quantities of reliable test data could be recorded in a 

comparatively short period of flight time. Dryden engineers 

and pilots tested the control laws for the system, developed 

by the contractor, in a simulation facility and then in flight, 

adjusting them to make the system work as intended. Once 

adjusted, the autopilot was a valuable tool for obtaining 

Schematic showing HiMAT Operational Concept. 

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high-quality, precise data that would not have been obtainable employing standard piloting methods; the autopilot 

enabled the pilot to control multiple parameters simultaneously and to do so within demanding, repeatable tolerances. As such, the flight test maneuver autopilot showed 

itself to be a broadly applicable technique for flight research with potential benefit to any flight program. 

Program Development 

The three-phase HiMAT project began in 1973. In 

August 1975 Rockwell International was awarded a contract to construct two HiMAT aircraft. The aircraft allowed 

researchers to test advanced technologies at a reduced cost. 

The goals of HiMAT included a 100 percent increase in 

aerodynamic efficiency over 1973 technology and maneuverability that would allow a sustained 8-G turn at 0.9 

Mach and an altitude of 25,000 feet. The program achieved 

both goals. 

The HiMAT project represented a shift in focus by 

researchers at Dryden. Through the Vietnam era, the crux 

of fighter research had been speed. In the 1970s, driven by 

a national energy crisis, new digital technology, and a 

changing combat environment, researchers sought to 

develop efficient research models for experiments into the 

extremes of fighter maneuverability. As a result, the quest 

for speed, long considered the key component of successful 

air combat, became secondary. 

Dryden researchers were developing ground-based, 

digital fly-by-wire control systems; they made experiments 

into new, highly maneuverable aircraft designs possible. 

The HiMAT project's maiden flight occurred on July 27, 

1979, and used the newly developed remote-piloting 

technologies for supersonic aircraft. Flight research continued through January 1983. 

HiMAT Contributions 

One of the HiMAT project's important contributions to flight technology was the use of new composite 

materials in structural design. HiMAT engineers used 

materials such as fiberglass and graphite to strengthen the 

plane and allow it to stand up to the high G-force conditions it encountered during maneuverability tests. Knowledge gained in composite construction from HiMAT 

strongly influenced other advanced research and the 

materials are now used extensively on commercial and 

military aircraft. 

The X-29 employed much of the technology 

developed from HiMAT research, including the successful 

use of the forward canard and the rear-mounted swept-wing 

constructed from light-weight composite materials. The 

wing allowed for vast increases in maneuverability. 

HiMAT research brought about far-reaching 

advances in digital flight control systems, which can 

monitor and automatically correct potential flight hazards. 

Experiments with small wingtip fins known as 

winglets were also conducted on HiMAT planes. Winglets, 

which reduce drag and can dramatically increase airplane 

fuel efficiency, are used extensively on private and commercial aircraft. 

The two research planes are now on exhibit, one at 

the NASA Ames Research Center and the other at the 

Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum. 

References 

Henry H. Arnaiz and Paul C. Loschke, "Current Overview 

of the Joint NASA/USAF HiMAT Program" (NASA CP2162, 1980), pp. 91-121. 

E. L. Duke, F. P. Jones, and R. B Roncoli, "Development

of a Flight Test Maneuver Autopilot for a Highly Maneuverable Aircraft" (NASA TP-2218, 1986). 

HiMAT AV-1 Fact Sheet (OFS 870-81-1, May 5, 1981, 

Dryden Historical Reference Collection). 

Robert W. Kempel, "Flight Experience with a Backup 

Flight Control System for the HiMAT Research Vehicle," 

AIAA-82-1541 Aug. 1982. 

Robert W. Kempel and Michael R. Earls, "Flight Control 

Systems Development and Flight Test Experience with the 

HiMAT Research Vehicles" (NASA TP-2822, 1988). 

Kevin L. Petersen, "Flight Control Systems Development 

of Highly Maneuverable Aircraft Technology Vehicle," 

AIAA-79-1789, Aug. 1979. 

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