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NASA Meatball NASA Dryden F-15 ACTIVE Aircraft banner
F-15B ACTIVE - First supersonic yaw vectoring flight F-15B ACTIVE - First supersonic yaw vectoring flight

Photo Number: EC96-43485-6
Photo Date: March 1996

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Description:

On Wednesday, April 24, 1996, the F-15 Advanced Control Technology for Integrated Vehicles (ACTIVE) aircraft achieved its first supersonic yaw vectoring flight at Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California. ACTIVE is a joint NASA, U.S. Air Force, McDonnell Douglas Aerospace (MDA) and Pratt & Whitney (P&W) program. The team will assess performance and technology benefits during flight test operations.

We hope to set some more records before we're through," stated Roger W. Bursey, P&W's pitch-yaw balance beam nozzle (PYBBN) program manager.

A pair of P&W PYBBNs vectored (horizontally side-to-side, pitch is up and down) the thrust for the MDA manufactured F-15 research aircraft. Power to reach supersonic speeds was provided by two high-performance F100-PW-229 engines that were modified with the multi-directional thrust vectoring nozzles. The new concept should lead to significant increases in performance of both civil and military aircraft flying at subsonic and supersonic speeds.


Keywords: F-15; F-15B; ACTIVE; first supersonic yaw vectoring flight; Advanced Control Technology for Integrated Vehicles; pitch yaw balance beam nozzle; PYBBN; MDA; McDonnell Douglas Aerospace


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