David O. Swain Research Paper

Tristan Gilliland

Mr. Bynum and Mrs. Silva

Networking AM

29 October 2014

Swain’s Aerospace Contribution

Introduction

“Aviation is proof that given, the will, we have the capacity to achieve the impossible” (Brainyquote.com). Eddie Rickenbacker describes the ability of the human mind to achieve the impossible by creating the means to fly. This statement epitomizes David O. Swain –Aerospace Engineer and former Senior Vice President of Boeing- and the contributions to technology, aviation, and the world he helped provide. Without the revolutionary technology he was a part of today’s military would not be the same.

Biographical Information

David O. Swain was born July 30th, 1942, in the town of Liston, Indiana. His parents were owners of

a farm, which was their small business, Swain states, “[They] taught me good values and a spirit of competiveness” (Purdue). He grew up and attended High school in Liston. He states in an interview from his alma mater Purdue, “I decided to study aeronautics and astronautics at Purdue because of two things. First was the Soviets' launching of Sputnik in 1957, which prompted people to come around to my high school to encourage us to consider careers in science and technology.” He attended Purdue University and graduated with a Bachelor’s of Science in Aerospace Engineering. He joined McDonnell Douglas right out of college in 1964, he started as an engineer for the Gemini Project. In 1972 he switched to the Tactical Missiles program and was a part of the creation of the Tomahawk and Harpoon/Standoff Land Attack Missile (NASA). He was married sometime in between and had his first daughter, Alexis, in 1978. His second daughter, who is now an actress, Dominique on August 12, 1980. Finally, his third daughter, Chelsea, in 1982 (Dominique Swain). “In 1987 he became vice president and general manager for strategic business development at McDonnell Douglas Astronautics Company. In 1991 he became senior vice president and the program manager for C-17 programs (NASA).
McDonnell Douglas was bought and merged with Boeing on December 15, 1996. Swain would become the president of Phantom Works, which is the experimental military technology division of the Boeing Aerospace Company. Not long after, he would become Senior Vice President of Engineering and Technology for all of Boeing (NASA). Just prior to this in 1993, Swain received the Distinguished Engineering Alumnus Award from Purdue University (Purdue). Six years later in 1999, he received the Outstanding Aerospace Engineer Award from Purdue as well (NASA). According to the Industrial Research Institute, Swain became Chief Operating Officer of Integrated Defense Systems for Boeing in 2002, and later retired in October of 2004, this prompted the Industrial Research Institute to award Swain the 2006 IRI Medal, which, “recognizes and honors leaders of technology for their outstanding accomplishments in technological innovation which contribute broadly to the development of industry and to the benefit of society.”
Key Invention
David O.

Swain was senior vice president at McDonnell Douglas at the time of the merger with Boeing, during this time development and research had been started on a new type of jet fighter for the U.S. Military, called the F-18 Super Hornet (Boeing: F/A-18E/F Super Hornet). However, the history of jets stretches back to the experimental jet engines of World War II, and the first combat operational jet fighter belonged to the German Luftwaffe; it was called the Messerschmitt 262 or ME 262. According to Kennedy Hickman, the Messerschmitt’s development truly began in 1939 before the war and was code named Projekt P.1065. The development was met with mixed reviews as many of the veteran Luftwaffe officers believed that the classic piston engine planes would be the planes to win the Second World War, not experimental jet engines. The first test flight was the 18th of April, 1941, the Me 262 was running a Junkers Jumo 210 Prop Engine because the flight was only to test the airframe of the plane, it also gave time for the finishing of the BMW 003 turbojets and their fitting (Me-262). Testing continued for just over a year and the final “pure” jet Me 262 was flown on July 18th, 1942. The jet was operational still 9 months earlier than any other jet. The Me 262 was a major threat to the allies during World War II, they claimed a total of 509 Allied kills, while reporting only 100 loses. After the war the Allies researched the planes technology after capturing the rest after their victory, the Me 262 had direct connection to future fighters as its elements were incorporated into them, and example is the U.S. F-86 Sabre which was used in action during the Vietnam war. It was also used in high speed testing and research, and the same plane was mimicked by Czechoslovakian government as the Avia S-92 and the CS-92 (Hickman). The development of the German Messerschmitt 262 led to the development of jet engine technology that has led to the jet fighters we know to this

day.

Creation of Subsequent Technology due to the application of Key Invention
As the President of Phantom Works and Senior Vice President of Engineering and Tech David Swain, oversaw designs and development for the F-18 Hornet which was improved to the F/A-18 Super Hornet E/F. E designation means it is a single pilot craft, while F designation means it contains two seats for pilot and co-pilot. The plane was developed as an all-purpose military aircraft, it can be used for maritime strikes from aircraft carriers, fight in day or night, provide reconnaissance, fighter escort, and perform well in air to air combat. The plane was designed to carry all aspects of military armament, it has a massive 11 weapons systems, and supports, “full complement of smart weapons, including laser-guided bombs” (Boeing: F/A-18E/F Super Hornet). The Super Hornet boasts two General Electric F414-GE-400 engines, the engines themselves boast a sleek design to reduce the planes signature on radar, provide increased airflow, and have 22,000 pounds of thrust per engine.
The development began in 1992, with a production cap of $4.8 Billion. The planes first flight was November 29, 1995, and testing continued until it was put into full production on February 15, 2000. As technology has developed over the 21st century, the Super Hornet has adapted. With new types of radar and weapons systems, like smart weapons and laser-guided bombs, the plane has been upgraded to implement these systems and technology (Boeing: F/A-18E/F Super Hornet). Additionally, alongside the development of the Super Hornet, two more prominent aircraft were being developed, the F-35 Lightning II in 1997, and the F-22 Raptor also in 1997. The Lightning II was developed as a multi-role fighter just like the Super Hornet, however, it specializes in Advanced Electronic Warfare. This means that the pilot can jam enemy radar, and track enemy forces from within the cockpit, with less reliability on communication with ground command. The Lightning II’s stealth capabilities allow it to enter airspace flying low, and not be detected by radar, where other fighters would be (F-35 Program Timeline). On the other hand, the F-22 Raptor was developed to be a high-altitude, stealth, air dominance fighter. It uses supercruise engines, which allows it to reach speeds in excess of Mach 1.5 and altitudes of up to 50,000 ft. and maintain maneuverability (F-22 Raptor). It specializes in modern visual dogfights, which is air to air fighter combat where fighters are in sight of each other while in combat. These aircraft are the technology that came about based off the same ideas as the F-18 Super Hornet, and they all stem from the original Me 262 German fighter.

New Technology Based on Application of Subsequent Technology
The new technology being developed by the US government but, due to the sensitivity of the technological information to concrete details have been released. The fighters are 6th generation and have been dubbed the Next Generation TACAIR, they are not planned to reach service until possibly 2025-2030, as the F-22 and F-35 have only been in active service since 2005. Some conceptual designs have been released by Lockheed Martin with the goals of “greater speeds and self-healing structures.” On the other side, Boeing’s Phantom Works –David Swain’s former division – is focusing on developing the successors to be of the F-35, F-22, and
F-18 fighters, with a new F/A-XX concept to possibly replace the Super Hornet in 2030. These concepts are the only released information for the future technology in the field of 6th generation jet fighters (Sixth Generation Fighter Aircraft: Rise of the F/A-XX).

Conclusion
David O. Swain is an Aerospace Engineer and former Chief Operating Officer of Integrated Defense Systems for Boeing. He took lead in development of the F/A-18 Super Hornet jet fighter. The development of all jets has been based off the initial design of the German Messerschmitt 262 from World War II, as technology advanced so did jet fighters and aviation. The Super Hornet was born in 1992 and the other jets of its generation, the F-22 and F-35 were born five years later. Now the 6th Generation of US Jet fighters are beginning to be developed and technology continues its never ceasing advance into the future. The impact of the jet fighter on combat and how wars are fought has been monumental, in fact changing all aspects of combat forever.

Works Cited
"Boeing: F/A-18E/F Super Hornet." Defense, Space, Security. Boeing Company, n.d. Web. 21 Oct. 2014.
Industrial Research Institute. "David O. Swain, 2006 IRI Medalist." Iriweb.org. Industrial Research Institute, 23 May 2006. Web. 20 Oct. 2014.
Purdue. "David O. Swain." College of Engineering. Purdue.edu, n.d. Web. 20 Oct. 2014.
NASA. "David O. Swain." Speaker Biographies. NASA, 2001. Web. 22 Oct. 2014.
"Dominique Swain." IMDb. IMDb.com, n.d. Web. 20 Oct. 2014.
"F-22 Raptor." F-22raptor.com. F-22 Raptor Team, 11 Apr. 2012. Web. 21 Oct. 2014.
"F-35 Program Timeline." Www.f35.com. Lockheed Martin, n.d. Web. 20 Oct. 2014.
Hickman, Kennedy. "World War II: Messerschmitt Me 262." About.com. About Education, n.d. Web. 21 Oct. 2014.
"Me-262." Collingsfoundation.org. The Collings Foundation, n.d. Web. 21 Oct. 2014.
"Sixth Generation Fighter Aircraft: Rise of the F/A-XX." Airforce-Technology.com. Air force Technology, 21 Aug. 2012. Web. 21 Oct. 2014.