National Aeronautics and Space Administration a

NASA's Aeronautics Test Program

Research Aircraft Integration Facility

NASA Armstrong’s Research Aircraft Integration Facility (RAIF) provides the ability to seamlessly integrate simulation and vehicle 

software and hardware systems under a single roof. This one-of-a-kind facility can simultaneously support a wide variety of advanced, 

highly integrated aerospace vehicles through all phases of a research program from conceptual design to flight. 

The RAIF offers high-fidelity 6-DOF (degree of freedom) batch and in-real-time flight simulation capabilities, as well as support for system 

integration and closed-loop verification and validation testing of vehicle components and flight vehicles. Also available are complete 

aircraft group-support services, including all electrical, hydraulic, and cooling-air systems required for vehicle-system integration, 

functional checks, and routine aircraft maintenance.
Facility Benefits

With simulation capabilities, the RAIF

• Provides research teams with the means to conduct efficient,

thorough testing of advanced, highly integrated research vehicles.

• Provides configurable systems for all facets of a research program

including simulation software and hardware, as well as direct vehicle

support infrastructure.

• Provides scalable systems for:

- Evaluation of design concepts

- Piloted and vehicle- and hardware-in-the-loop operations

- Combined systems testing capability

- System integration and full mission support

- Control-room training, mission planning and data analysis

• Can be configured to accommodate up to 11 simulation

laboratories.

• Can be tailored to support varying access and security requirements

within each lab.

• Offers audio, video and data connectivity to any of the six facility

hangar bays, as well as to the Armstrong Mission Control Center.

Facility Applications

The RAIF has been a critical asset for the successful implementation of 

some of the nation’s most revolutionary and valuable research efforts. 

These efforts supported a variety of classes of research vehicles that cover 

subsonic through hypersonic flight regimes, including X-43A (Hyper-X), 

F-18, F-15, X-57, X-59, and C-17.

Data Acquisition and Processing

• Simulation software capabilities:

- High-fidelity, 6-DOF simulation packages.

- Same software simulation package supports both real-time (human-in-the-loop and

hardware-in-the-loop) and non-real time (desktop) operations.

- Commons, configurable software supporting multiple projects.

- Linux operation system platforms.

- Multiple language support (FORTRAN, C, C++, Java and Ada).

- Multiview out-the-window graphics with heads-up display (HUD) and threedimensional model of flight vehicle.

- Operable by one person in non-real-time and real-time environments.

• Simulation hardware capabilities:

- Dedicated or configurable fix-base engineering simulation cockpits.

- Configurable hardware interface units for vehicle-systems integration testing.

- Common configurable hardware to support multiple projects.

- Configurable simulation electric stick (SES) and rudder pedal force-feedback systems.

- Configurable Cockpit Interface Unit (CIU).

- Flight hardware interface capability (MIL-STD-1553, ARINC 429 and analog and

discrete signals).

Characteristics

• Test bays 1, 2 and 3 provide over 30,000 ft2

hangar space.

• The 225 X 135 ft hangar, accessible through a split

225 X 50 ft door.

• Test bays 4 and 5 provide a total of 12,500 ft2 of

hangar space.

• Test bay 6 is a single-vehicle bay of 10,000 ft2 of

hangar space that can be configured to

support programs with more stringer security

requirements.

• Test bay data and communication connectivity to

RAIF simulation labs and Armstrong control

rooms.

• Co-located vehicle maintenance support staffing.

• Co-located program and vehicle engineering and

technician staff.

• Complete vehicle support systems (aircraft

cooling, electrical power and hydraulics).

• Electrostatic Discharge Association (ESD)

certified support labs.

Contact Information:

www.aeronautics.nasa.gov/atp

Aric Warner/Chief, Simulation

 Engineering Branch Armstrong Flight Research 

Center

661-276-7608

E-mail: aric.d.warner@nasa.gov