Published online by Cambridge University Press: 04 July 2016
ACT embodying FBW and digital computing is now implemented routinely in almost all classes of aircraft, and is often essential in achieving performance requirements. However, careful design, thorough understanding, and attention to detail are necessary if the benefits of ACT are to be realised and attention must be focused appropriately among the issues to be resolved to ensure that development proceeds efficiently and overall costs are minimised. This paper introduces structural coupling as one of the important “details” of FCS design, and shows how the “state-of-the-art” has developed at BAe Warton in order to help achieve the performance specification for a modern weapons system, while maintaining a balanced and efficient FCS design effort.