Rapid Site Preparation Research for VTOL Aircraft

The advent of VTOL aerospace vehicles has imposed a serious problem on ground support organizations, that is, to develop a technique for rapidly preparing previously unprepared remote landing sites for VTOL aircraft. This paper summarizes background investigations and the current in-house research conducted by the Air Force for the formulation of rapid site preparation concepts. A J-85 jet engine with afterburner was mounted in a test rig so that it could be run in a vertical position to simulate actual VTOL landing and take-off exhaust effects. Tests were conducted on organic materials, rapid setting cements, and metallic mats. Temperature and static pressures were recorded. It was found that certain materials could resist 2,400°F temperature for short periods of time; debris ingestion into engine would be a problem for VTOL aircraft; and application procedures for these materials are in need of further development.