Test and Evaluation: Reducing Risks to Military Aircraft From Bird Collisions
NSIAD-89-127
Published: Jul 13, 1989. Publicly Released: Jul 25, 1989.
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Highlights
Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the services': (1) testing of military aircraft to reduce losses and damages resulting from bird collisions; and (2) development and use of nonflammable hydraulic fluid to reduce fire risks.
Recommendations
Recommendations for Executive Action
| Agency Affected | Recommendation | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Department of Defense | The Secretary of Defense should require the services to revise test specifications to reflect the sizes and the number of birds actually colliding with military aircraft. |
According to DOD, a revised test specification has been prepared (MIL-JSGS-87231A) and is in the final approval cycle. Issuance is expected no later than mid-October 1994.
|
| Department of Defense | The Secretary of Defense should require the services to evaluate the vulnerability of critical airframe areas such as the nose and the wing's leading edges to minimize the risk from bird collisions. |
The Navy adopted the Air Force specifications for making such evaluations. In addition, more modelling and simulation is being used by the services in their evaluations. Finally, individual aircraft reviews by the services are to evaluate the impacts of bird collisions. Although DOD believes that financial savings will eventually be realized from these actions, no attempts have been made to calculate or project such savings. This is largely due to the extensive time it would take to identify and quantify financial savings.
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Topics
Aircraft accidentsAircraft componentsAircraft researchBirdsBomber aircraftContract termsEvaluation methodsHydraulic engineeringTestingWeapons systems