Aviation Applied Technology Directorate
Encyclopedia
The United States Army
Aviation Applied Technology Directorate (AATD) is a tenant activity located at Fort Eustis, Virginia
. It is a directorate of the Aviation and Missile Research, Development, and Engineering Center
(AMRDEC), a part of the Research, Development and Engineering Command (RDECOM).
The technology base pioneered for the UH-60 Black Hawk and the AH-64 Apache
was established by AATD in the late 60s and 70s, and much of technological advancements have been developed and applied since then. These include elastomeric bearings, elastic pitch beam tail rotor
blade, crashworthy
subsystems (e.g., fuel systems
, landing gear, seating, structure), vibration reduction
, aircrew and passenger restraint systems
, Cockpit Air Bag
System (CABS), Wire Strike Protection System
(WSPS), and the General Electric T700 engine.
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
Aviation Applied Technology Directorate (AATD) is a tenant activity located at Fort Eustis, Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
. It is a directorate of the Aviation and Missile Research, Development, and Engineering Center
United States Army Aviation and Missile Research, Development, and Engineering Center
The Army Aviation and Missile Research, Development, and Engineering Center , part of the United States Army Research, Development and Engineering Command , operates simulation facilities to evaluate missile components, such as seekers, in a variety of flights and countermeasures environments...
(AMRDEC), a part of the Research, Development and Engineering Command (RDECOM).
History
The predecessor organization of AATD was established as the Transportation Corps Board on 16 December 1944 at Fort Monroe, Virginia. The original mission of the organization was research and development of all modes of transportation for the newly formed Transportation Corp. In 1946 it was transferred to the Brooklyn Army Base, Brooklyn, New York. The Directorate has been located at Fort Eustis since 1950.The technology base pioneered for the UH-60 Black Hawk and the AH-64 Apache
AH-64 Apache
The Boeing AH-64 Apache is a four-blade, twin-engine attack helicopter with a tailwheel-type landing gear arrangement, and a tandem cockpit for a two-man crew. The Apache was developed as Model 77 by Hughes Helicopters for the United States Army's Advanced Attack Helicopter program to replace the...
was established by AATD in the late 60s and 70s, and much of technological advancements have been developed and applied since then. These include elastomeric bearings, elastic pitch beam tail rotor
Tail rotor
The tail rotor, or anti-torque rotor, is a smaller rotor mounted so that it rotates vertically or near-vertically at the end of the tail of a traditional single-rotor helicopter. The tail rotor's position and distance from the center of gravity allow it to develop thrust in the same direction as...
blade, crashworthy
Crashworthiness
Crashworthiness is the ability of a structure to protect its occupants during an impact. This is commonly tested when investigating the safety of aircraft and vehicles. Depending on the nature of the impact and the vehicle involved, different criteria are used to determine the crashworthiness of...
subsystems (e.g., fuel systems
Self-sealing fuel tank
In aviation, self-sealing fuel tank is a fuel tank technology in wide use since World War II that prevents fuel tanks primarily on aircraft from leaking fuel and igniting after being damaged by enemy fire....
, landing gear, seating, structure), vibration reduction
Vibration control
In earthquake engineering, vibration control is a set of technical means aimed to mitigate seismic impacts in building and non-building structures.All seismic vibration control devices may be classified as passive, active or hybrid where:...
, aircrew and passenger restraint systems
Safety harness
A safety harness is a form of protective equipment designed to protect a person, animal, or object from injury or damage. The harness is an attachment between a stationary and non-stationary object and is usually fabricated from rope, cable or webbing and locking hardware...
, Cockpit Air Bag
Airbag
An Airbag is a vehicle safety device. It is an occupant restraint consisting of a flexible envelope designed to inflate rapidly during an automobile collision, to prevent occupants from striking interior objects such as the steering wheel or a window...
System (CABS), Wire Strike Protection System
Wire Strike Protection System
The Wire Strike Protection System is a device designed to deal with the risk of wire strikes while flying helicopters at Nap-of-the-earth altitudes. The system is mounted around the front of most U.S. Army and some civil helicopters....
(WSPS), and the General Electric T700 engine.