Lockheed Martin Aeronautics F-35 Program Quality Technologies (2016)

Preface

This report is written towards the complete fulfillment of the coursework requirement for portfolio credit at the

Technical University of Denmark (DTU) in the spring semester of 2018. It also aims towards being released

for the public to be part of the recruiting efforts at Terma A/S in Denmark. At the same time it serves as partial

technical documentation for the Roller Drone project within Quality Technologies under Quality and Mission

Success. The report is the final documentation of a 5 month long engineering internship at Lockheed Martin

Aeronautics in Fort Worth, Texas carried out by Danish engineering intern Jesper Lund studying for a Master’s

degree in Materials- and Manufacturing Engineering at the Technical University of Denmark (DTU) in

Denmark, Europe.

The report briefly goes into Lockheed Martin, its business areas, and heritage as an aerospace company.

Then an overview of the work carried out at Quality Technologies within Quality and Mission Success at

Lockheed Martin Aeronautics in Fort Worth, Texas is given. This primarily focuses on the Suite of Drones

project and the development of the Roller Drone autonomous inspection type drone. Lastly, an account of the

personal experience of going to the United States and working for Lockheed Martin Aeronautics on the F-35

Joint Strike Fighter program is laid out.

I would like to acknowledge the tremendous help and guidance I have received from the entire Quality

Technologies team. It has been a true pleasure working alongside these dedicated and skilled individuals. I

would like to thank the Customer Programs Denmark office for providing excellent help in navigating the murky

waters of business rules and regulations, and making sure that the administration side of the internship has

gone smoothly. I would like to extend my thanks to Terma A/S in Denmark for supporting the internship

program in most all ways imaginable, and my thanks to Terma North America for taking good care of us 8

Danish engineering interns, while we have been in Fort Worth. Lastly, I would like to thank the seven other

Danish interns for excellent company and team spirit in this endeavor. To all, it has been greatly appreciated,

and I have enjoyed every moment. I hope that we will all meet again down the road, sooner rather than later!

It has been an absolutely amazing experience working on the cutting edge of technology for the most

advanced tech company in the world, Lockheed Martin. I am very grateful to have been given the opportunity.

List of figures

Figure 1-1 Royal Danish Airforce F-16 Fighting Falcon ET-210 acting as an F-35 chase plane during F-35

flight tests. Copyright: Royal Danish Airforce Photo

Figure 1-2: The eight Danish interns: from the back left Emil Hølmkjær, Lenni Busk, Jesper Lund, Nils Toudal,

Mads Hellemann, Lukas Høghøj, and from the front left Kenneth Jensen, Kristoffer Olesen, and from the

Lockheed Martin Aeronautics F-35 Denmark Program Office: Elyse Michniak and Doug Vanotterloo.

Figure 1-3 Press photo of Jesper Lund and an F-35A taken at the Lockheed Martin Aeronautics 2018 Jet Day

Event. Copyright: Lockheed Martin Photo

Figure 2-1: Lockheed Martin Aeronautics locations in the United States of America [1]

Figure 2-2: The SR-71 Blackbird spy plane

Figure 2-3: The logo of the Lockheed Martin. Skunkworks

Figure 2-4: The F-117 Nighthawk tactical stealth bomber

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Figure 2-5: F-35A conventional take-off variant that the Royal Danish Airforce will operate

Figure 2-6: F-35B Short Takeoff/Vertical Landing with lift fan and swiveled engine [2]

Figure 2-7: F-35C Carrier Variant (CV) with folded wingtip sections and robust landing gear [2]

Figure 2-8: The spring 2018 QualTech team at Lockheed Martin Aeronautics. Picture taken at the Jet Day

event. Copyright: Lockheed Martin Photo

Figure 3-1: Ground crew preparing an F-35 Joint Strike Fighter for take-off

Figure 3-2: During manufacturing and maintenance operations, the footprint of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter is

highly contested by tools and support equipment

Figure 3-3: The Roller Drone Version 3 design. The drone is designed as a hubless wheel with a main drive

running on an outer sphere. The flywheel in the center is used as a reaction weight to lean the drone for

turning, and for yawing the drone. This gives the drone a 360 degree turning on the spot capability

Figure 3-4: FOD walk at Osana Air Force Base in the Rep. of Korea. Roller Drone inserted for scale

Figure 3-5: Arduino Mega 2650 used for control and sensor input computing

Figure 3-6: Raspberry Pi 3B microcomputer used for video capture and machine vision

Figure 3-7: Lithium Polymer (Li-Po) battery 11.7V

Figure 3-8: HC-05 Bluetooth Master-Slave module for radio communications for example with a smart phone

or tablet computer

Figure 3-9: BTS7960 12-24V motor driver

Figure 3-10: Pi Camera for use with the Raspberry Pi microcomputer

Figure 3-11: A Universal Gripper picking up a spring and a shock absorber assembly [3]

Figure 3-12: The mode of operation of the Universal Gripper [4]

Figure 3-13: Manual inspections of a F-35 centre fuselage at Northrup Grumman similar to those taking place

in all aircraft manufacturing operations at Lockheed Martin Aeronautics [5]

Figure 3-14 3D printers needed for further drone prototyping

Figure 3-15: Soldering holder tool and soldering station

Figure 4-1: Part of the F-35 Lightning II assembly line at Lockheed Martin Aeronautics in Fort Worth, Texas.

Figure 4-2: An F-35 Lightning II after final assembly ready for application of coatings, the so called final

finishes. Copyright: Lockheed Martin Photo

Figure 4-3: Lockheed Martin Aeronautics was visited by the Danish minister of Industry, Business and

Financial Affairs. The visit included a private 30 minute meeting with the Danish engineering interns. Copyright:

Lockheed Martin Photo

Figure 4-4: The Danish interns at Sheppard Air Force base visiting the Danish fighter pilot students at the

NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training Program. The training is carried out in the T-38 Talon jet trainer of which one is

seen in the background

Figure 4-5: Apartment complex Marquis at Stonegate, Fort Worth, Texas [3]

Figure 4-6: Texas Motor Speedway at the O'Reilly Auto Parts 500 NASCAR stock car race

Figure 4-7: Hill B-B-Q outside of Austin, Texas. Home of the best BBQ in Texas, and on account of the owner

a favourite of President George W. Bush Sr

Figure 4-8: The F-22 Raptor air force demonstration team at the Yuma Marine Core Air Station air show. . 32

Figure 4-9: Inspecting the air intake of a former Navy Blue Angels F/A-18 Hornet for FOD at the Pima Air and

Space Museum, Tucson, Arizona. Most of the aircraft on display were parked outside under the burning

Arizona desert sun

Figure 4-10: The characteristic white coating serving to protect the aircraft from the heat, sun

1 Introduction

In the spring semester of 2018, eight Danish engineering interns, see Figure 1-2 and Figure 1-3, from the

Technical University Denmark (DTU) has been employed for a semester long internship with Lockheed Martin

Aeronautics Co. in Fort Worth, Texas, in the United States of America. They have been the fourth team of

Danish interns to do so.

The internship is a collaborative effort between Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., Danish defense contractor

Terma A/S and three major Danish universities. The universities include the Aarhus University, Aalborg

University and the Technical University of Denmark (DTU). Initiated by Lockheed Martin in 2015, the students

are invited to be an integrated part of the engineering team working on the mass production of the 5^th

generation stealth fighter, the F-35 Lightning II. These interns take part in solving the engineering challenges

faced daily in what is currently one of the world’s largest production of fighter aircraft. The outcome, apart from

the technical work contributed to Lockheed Martin Aeronautics, is the invaluable insight into the American

defense and aerospace industry that they bring back with them to Denmark. The skills and competencies,

gained, are extremely valuable to Danish industry and cannot be attained anywhere in Denmark.

Denmark has been a partner country in the development of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program since 1997.

Through both financial, equipment, and personnel contributions, Denmark has actively taken part in the

development efforts. The most visible contribution has arguably been the F-16 Fighting Falcon ET-210 chase

plane, maintenance crew, and test pilot Lt Col. Casper “PEL” Nielsen. This plane has conducted many exciting

test flights, right from the beginning to the end of the F-35 flight test program as seen in Figure 1-1.

Additionally, many components for the F-35 Lightning II is made in Denmark. This among other things includes

certain composite panels, the so called skins of the aircraft, and the gun pod for the B and C variants of the

aircraft. The Danish defense contractor Terma has been chosen as a provider for these parts to the program.

As the main focus from the onset of the F-35 program has been affordability, this is a true testament to the

capable Danish defense and aerospace industry. In June of 2016, the Danish participation in the program

culminated, with the Danish parliament voting in favor of buying 27 F-35 Lightning II aircraft to replace the

existing Royal Danish Airforce fleet of aging F-16 Fighting Falcons dating back to the early 1980’s.

As is evident, this internship is therefore not only invaluable to the engineering students that are chosen, but

is also an important piece of a larger political mission, ranging all the way from geopolitical security

considerations on a global scale to international business collaborations.

Figure 1-1 Royal Danish Airforce F-16 Fighting Falcon ET-210 acting as an F-35 chase plane during F-35 flight tests.

Approved for public release, AER2017xxxxx, xx-xx-17.

2 Company background

Lockheed Martin is a leading American aerospace, defense, security and advanced technologies company. It

is divided into four distinct business units: Missiles and fire control, Rotary and Mission Systems, Space, and

Aeronautics. These four business units make advanced technologies ranging over such diverse fields as

intercontinental ballistic nuclear missiles, power plant technologies, ships, helicopters, satellites, and military

aircraft. Recently Lockheed Martin has also ventured into research for cyber warfare systems and new energy

sources such as thermonuclear fusion. The corporation employs over 100.000 people across the world.

2.1 Lockheed Martin Aeronautics

Lockheed Martin Aeronautics is an aircraft manufacturer with headquarters in Fort Worth, Texas. The product

lineup includes the F-16 Fighting Falcon, the C-130J Super Hercules cargo plane and the T-50 Golden Eagle

jet trainer. However, the F-35 Lightning II aircraft under the Joint Strike Fighter program is the main source of

revenue for Lockheed Martin Aeronautics, and constitutes a major part of the business for the Lockheed Martin

Corporation, with its estimated $800 bn in revenue until 2070, as well. Apart from manufacturing new aircraft,

sustainment, maintenance and repair operations on legacy aircraft are a large part of the business as well.

These aircraft include the F-22 Raptor air superiority fighter, the F-16 Fighting Falcon fighter, the C-5 Galaxy

heavy airlifter, the P-3 Orion marine operations aircraft, and the U-2 Dragon Lady spy plane.

Although the main assembly plant is located next to the headquarters at Air Force Plant 4 in Fort Worth, Texas,

Lockheed Martin Aeronautics has several locations across the US as seen in Figure 2-1. The most famous

location is Palmdale, California that houses the Advanced Development Programs (ADP) informally known as

the Skunkworks, see Figure 2-3.

Figure 2-1: Lockheed Martin Aeronautics locations in the United States of America [1]

2.2 Skunkworks

The Advanced Development Programs is a subunit of Lockheed Martin Aeronautics, previously under

Lockheed before the merger with Martin Marietta. The unit is located in the desert near Palmdale, California

close to Los Angeles. It focuses primarily on the development of new aircraft prototypes, advanced

aeronautics, control systems, and materials research. It also houses a research ground that works on a

compact nuclear fusion reactor. Since its conception in 1943 the Skunkworks has made many quantum leaps

in aircraft technology. The most famous and iconic designs include the to date world’s fastest air breathing

manned aircraft the SR-71 Blackbird, the U-2 Dragon Lady spy plane, the stealth F-117 Night Hawk and the

air superiority fighter, F-22 Raptor. This was also the unit that made the initial design for the F-35 Lightning II.

Among the high-profile current projects that have been publically released are: the Quiet Supersonic

Technology X-plane designed to reduce supersonic booms created when breaking the sound barrier; MQ-25

autonomous refueling drone for autonomous air-to-air refueling the F-35 Lightning II; The Hybrid Airship troop

transport blimp: and the Compact fusion reactor. However, most of the ground breaking discoveries to come

out of Skunk Works have all come from Top Secret military projects. Currently, job openings at the Palmdale

facilities and with the Advanced Development Programs are all strictly for US Citizens and requires a Top

Secret Security clearance with Special Access. This requires a 5 year background check to be performed.

Much of what is being worked on, however, is not publically released. However, whatever the Advanced

Development Programs truly have in the works, it is most likely going to impact the future of Aviation.

2.3 F-35 Lightning II

The F-35 Lighting II is the world’s most advanced stealth, supersonic capable multi-role fighter. It was designed

to take over from an ever increasing number of different aircraft within the marine core, navy, and air force.

The aircraft to be replaced by the F-35A are among others the F-16 Fighting Falcon, the GR4 Tornado and

the A-10 Warthog. The F-35B variant with its short take off and vertical landing capabilities (STOVL) will

replace the British made AV-8 Harrier Jump Jet. While, lastly, the navy F-35C version being optimized for

carrier operation will replace the F/A-18 Hornet and F/A-18 Super Hornet in the US Navy. These three versions

may be seen in Figure 2-5 to 2-7 on the next page.

Stealth

One of the main specifications for the new Joint Strike Fighter was the so called low radar cross section, low

observability, or stealth. The concept of stealth means being less observable to enemy radar, which is

exceedingly important for the first parts of a military engagement. Being low observable to radar means that

the aircraft can penetrate into enemy airspace undetected and destroy enemy strategic installations such as

surface-to-air missile sites and radar stations, allowing for opening of the airspace to conventional air assets

such as strategic bombers, surveillance aircraft and tankers. However, radar cross section increases with

proximity to the enemy radar station, and the aircraft is not invisible to radar at very close distance.

Stealth, however, comes with restrictions on the physical appearance of the aircraft. All surfaces must either

reflect radar waves away from the transmitting radar station of completely absorb them. All radar waves that

are reflected back to the enemy radar station will increase the detected cross section. For this reason the

radar cross section is also different from different angles of view to the aircraft.

Since the best control of stealth is achieved by having completely smooth surfaces, tolerances on panel gaps

are exceedingly important. The F-35 Lightning II is the first aircraft to rely primarily on tight tolerances to ensure

good stealth properties. This is especially impressive as it is also among the first fighter aircraft to be built

primarily with composite exo-structures as opposed to aerospace grade aluminum or titanium.

The limitations on the physical appearance also means the airplane may not be able to maneuver as

aggressively as fighters that are optimized for increasing the so called flight envelope, the flying characteristics

of the aircraft. This means that the aircraft may be less capable in a fighter-to-fighter air combat, i.e. dogfight,

using the guns in certain configurations. However, owing to its stealth properties it can engage enemy aircraft

with missiles before the enemy aircraft can detect it. The F-35 also has external mounting points for bombs,

missiles and fuel tanks, even though using these negates stealth properties. This is usable after the primary

air battle in close air support (CAS) operations for ground troops, when stealth is not required, but a larger

payload and range is desired. This makes the F-35 Lightning II a very versatile aircraft being able to operate

in different roles during different stages of a conflict

Reducing Costs

By reducing the number of different aircraft models in inventory, the supply chain for maintenance and repair

operations (MRO) can be reduced and streamlined. This will in turn mean that the lifetime cost for operating

the aircraft can be significantly reduced. Affordability has been the main goal for the project from the onset.

Joint Strike Fighter Program

To meet this primary goal international partners have been brought in to be able to share development cost

and leverage economies of scale. This has been done under the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Program. Under this

program, The United States of America has partnered with Australia, Canada, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway,

Turkey and Denmark to co-develop and operate the F-35 Lightning II. Other countries who have purchased

the aircraft include Israel, Japan and the Republic of Korea. To further decrease the cost of the program, the

widely used strategy of counter purchasing parts and services in the buyer countries has not been utilized.

This means that all contracts for parts and services are awarded based on price and quality and not politics.

Denmark has been a partner country in the Joint Strike Fighter program since 1997, where the first

commitment for 10 mio. USD was awarded for initial specification and development. Since then the Danish

commitment has only increased up until June of 2016 when the Danish parliament passed the bill of purchase

of 27 F-35A Lightning II aircraft into law, thus committing to buy and operate this aircraft within the Royal

Danish Air Force (RDAF).

2.4 Quality Technologies

Quality Technologies

(QualTech) is a team under Quality and Mission Success in Lockheed Martin

Aeronautics Co, see Figure 2-8. The primary focus of the team is to discover, develop and implement new

emerging technological solutions to inspection and quality assurance purposes in the manufacturing of aircraft.

Although, physically located at LMA’s headquarters in Fort Worth, Texas, where the F-35 is manufactured,

the team serves all manufacturing operations on all aircraft models. This includes the U-2 Dragon Lady, C-

130 Hercules, P-3 Orion, F-16 Fighting Falcon and sustainment operations on aircraft such as the cargo plane

C-5 Galaxy and the air superiority fighter F-22 Raptor. To a lesser degree, Advanced Development Programs,

a.k.a. Skunkworks are also served.

As part of the quality organization under LMA, the focus is production quality and monitoring. This means, that

the team also works with task such as calibrating measuring equipment, carries out First Article Inspections

(FAIs) and Product Process Verification (PPVs).

In developing new technologies, the Quality Technologies team works actively together with several

universities and partners in industry to develop new technologies that are applicable to the aerospace industry.

This involves college engineering interns, senior design projects, thesis collaborations, development, and

ground breaking research projects. From a Danish perspective this is especially interesting, as the potential

for active research collaborations with the Technical University of Denmark (DTU) is currently being discussed

and research collaborations may be underway in the near future.

Currently the team is focused on the technologies such as autonomous drones and machine learning for the

application of inspection in aircraft production. The team develops prototypes in-house as well, as through

industrial and academic collaborations, and is focused on improving quality and lowering the cost of inspection

processes in manufacturing operations. This is a core pillar of the F-35 Joint Strike fighter program, and the

work of the team is thus in perfect alignment with overall program goals.

Figure 2-8: The spring 2018 QualTech team at Lockheed Martin Aeronautics. Picture taken at the Jet Day event.

3 Work done

The primary outcome of the internship was of course the work carried out. In our case, this was mainly the

development of autonomous inspection type drones. I worked exclusively on a hubless wheel based design

for a rolling inspection type drone usable for run station and runway inspections in Flight Line operations.

Kenneth, the other Danish intern with Quality Technologies, worked on a rover type drone with a ducted fan

for driving on walls and in an inverted position. This drone was tasked with doing various in-production

inspections.

Furthermore, a more comprehensive concept around the drone prototypes was developed. The concept called

the Suite of Drones aimed at having different drone vehicles for different tasks, again carrying interchangeable

sensors. The latter was dubbed the Suite of Sensors. To support better rapid prototyping capabilities within

the Quality Technologies team, a plan for a New Drone Lab was laid out. Recommendations on production

capabilities and tools and machinery needed was given. Finally, the inspection process in the F-35 Program

was reviewed with the goal of uncovering needs for technological solutions to high value problems. A primary

goal of this effort was also to determine an Inspector of The Future. Applying new, emerging technologies the

goal was to streamline the inspection process. The overall goal was to increase the quality of inspections, at

the same time as man hours spent on inspections were reduced.

3.1 Roller Drone

The main project was the Inspection Type Roller Drone. The project had been initiated by former Dutch,

college intern Karan Vir Bairns. He conceived of the concept of having a completely spherical shaped

inspection drone for autonomous Foreign Object Debris (FOD) identification and retrieval. And a design for

this was proposed. The project was handed over, and the initially work focused on specifying the modes of

operation, the specifications and the restrictions, as an industrial partner, Sphero Inc., was to be taken in to

the project. From there a Version 3 prototype was built aiming to resolve the shortcomings of the initial design.

3.1.1 Roller Drone Specifications

The Roller Drone is a proposed inspection type autonomous drone for foreign object debris (FOD) inspection

and removal applications in jet aircraft operation and manufacturing areas. The aim of the development project

is cost reduction on those inspection tasks that may be easily automated, i.e. Flight Line, runway and run

station FOD walks, floor inspection in manufacturing areas, inspections directly on aircraft, and perimeter

security patrolling. These routine tasks require man hours on a daily basis in all areas where jet aircraft

operate. The autonomous FOD retrieval drone technology may also find military applications, for example in

situations where the safety of inspection personnel cannot be guaranteed such as deployment to military

operated airfields in active war zones. Furthermore, the prototype may also add new strategic military

capability in deploying FOD inspection and removal drones for opening disused or ad hoc airfields (For this

application, more drones could for example be airdropped from a military jet aircraft to prepare the runway for

safe operation and landing in one single mission).

To be effective the design was aimed fulfil the following requirements:

1. Not pose a danger to the environment, personnel or aircraft.

2. Not carry home base wireless communications systems.

3. Autonomously identify and remove FOD.

4. Have a closed form factor, i.e. inherently not be source

of FOD (even in case of malfunction).

5. Operate in most all weather conditions.

The currently desired form factor is that of a closed sphere with internal drivetrain, navigation and FOD retrieval

system. This is unlikely to leave FOD behind even in case of malfunction as all mechanical parts are carried

on the inside. Furthermore, this form factor provides good maneuverability, i.e. 360 degree turns, and inherent

stability. It is also insensitive to varying terrain. A home base with wireless charging for internal batteries may

be added to provide prolonged autonomous operation without opening for maintenance. Below, the specific

objectives and technical requirements are given.

Objectives

Technical requirements

1. Foreign object debris (FOD)

1. Not pose danger to operating

inspection and removal in and on

environment.

airfield areas.

2. No home base wireless

2. FOD inspection in aircraft production.

communication.

3. Perimeter security and surveillance.

3. Autonomous FOD detection and

4. Inspection directly on aircraft and run

removal.

station operations.

4. Closed physical form factor.

5. Weather resistant

Operating Environment

The operating environment for the Rollinspector autonomous inspection type drone is on airfield aprons, in

hangars and in aircraft manufacturing areas. These areas are heavily contested by other maintenance and

support equipment, see the two figures below. This offers restrictions on the physical form factor of the drone.

The drone must also pose a danger to personnel, aircraft or equipment. Operating in this environment means

doing tight turns, and accessing tight spaces. The autonomous drone should be able to maneuver in this

contested space. From the last figure, the scale of operations may be seen. The magnitude of the distance

that must be covered is estimated to exceed 3 miles in a single cycle. The operating surface is tarmac or

concrete in outside applications, and painted concrete on inside applications. For military applications possible

tall grasses and gravel conditions may be met, as well. These, however, are a secondary objectives to the

project.

3.1.2 Prototype Development

After the specifications had been laid down, the process of optimizing the design of the prototype was begun.

The initial design was dubbed Version. 1, and a collaborative effort with Southern Methodist University (SMU)

was given the designation of Version 2.

Roller Drone Version 1

The initial design for the Roller Drone had proven very difficult to implement. It included using a Sphero toy

for propulsion of an encapsulating 3D printed sphere. The navigation system was based on 8 cameras giving

a 4π steradians field of view from which navigation and FOD identification should be processed. However, the

constant motion of the cameras during operation, an underpowered drivetrain in the Sphero, the lack a general

sense of forward-backward or right-left due the omnidirectional motion, and very limited physical space for a

FOD retrieval system posed great challenges.

Roller Drone Version 2

The initial concept and design for the Roller Drone was at the beginning of the semester given to two teams

of engineering students at the Southern Methodist University (SMU) for their senior design projects. They were

tasked with the design of a FOD retrieval and a navigations system. After encountering challenges in fitting

the necessary systems into the small form factor, the teams were allowed to increase the initial small

dimensions to fit their FOD retrieval and navigation systems. The teams delivered two proposals for FOD

retrieval systems. Neither team gave any specific design for navigation - although generic considerations

were given.

The first FOD retrieval mechanism proposed, was an iris mechanism type opening in the spherical shell that

would allow the drone to roll over the FOD, close the iris mechanism, and subsequently close the iris to retrieve

the FOD, carrying it in a compartment inside the drone. Issues with retrieving multiple pieces of FOD in one

run, and actuating the iris mechanism was shortcomings of this design.

The second, was an elegant universal gripper and mechanically operated drawer mechanism. The universal

gripper was a concept, that Quality Technologies was familiar with, and had a prototype of. However, this

design carried the gripper on the outside as an integrated part of the shell, and a series of detailed movements

combined with an actuated drawer picked FOD up in a very elegant way. This mechanical design, is

considered to be the primary outcome of the two senior design projects for the team.

Figure 3-3: The Roller Drone Version 3 design. The drone is designed as a hubless wheel with a main drive running on

an outer sphere. The flywheel in the center is used as a reaction weight to lean the drone for turning, and for yawing the

drone. This gives the drone a 360 degree turning on the spot capability.

3.1.3 Roller Drone Version 3

A complete redesign of the Roller Drone based on the challenges of the initial designs and the new

specifications was to be carried out. This involved increasing the size of the drone radically from the initially

proposed to fit a longer range more effective drivetrain and allow for space for sensor systems. In a literature

study of these types of robotic prototypes, a design made by the company XRobots in the United Kingdom

was found. This was a hubless wheel design for a remote controlled robotic prototype that had similar

specifications to those uncovered in the specification part of the project, see Figure 3-3 and Figure 3-4. The

design had been publically release under a free license. This was deemed appropriate for the application in

mind, and the mechanical platform for the version 3 Roller Drone prototype was based on this.

The approach of modifying an existing design allowed for an extremely rapid prototyping. The released design

included CAD drawings of parts and instructions for assembly. The challenge would be to manufacture the

parts using 3D printing methods, designing proper electronics circuits and modify the released software to the

specifications needed for the roller drone.

Hubless Wheel Design

The prototype design was that of a hubless wheel. This was desirable, as it reduced the requirements for

having high torque electric motors for the powertrain. In turn this would reduce power consumption and

increase the operating time of the drone. The hubless wheel also gave an intrinsic forward-backward and left-

right sense of direction that eases the control of the drone. Challenges that were still present from earlier

models was the intrinsic instability of a rolling sphere. Tendency to build up mechanical oscillations / wobbling

both in the forwards-backwards and the side-to-side directions during operations indicated that active

stabilization measures were needed. Making a full 180 degree on-the-spot turn was a requirement, and this

was handled by spinning a flywheel to high rpm and braking it hard. This provides a very good yaw rate on

smooth surfaces.

Rapid Prototyping

The manufacturing of the design was based on classic rapid prototyping. This involved 3D printing parts in

engineering polymers such as PLA and ABS. A Lockheed Martin Aeronautics shared asset was used for 3D

printing large parts, while a purpose bought 3D printer was used for printing parts with a smaller form factor.

The prototyping involved using the professional grade Makerbot Z18 and Ultimaker 3. The software suites that

were used for slicing was Makerbot Desktop and Cura for each printer respectively. 3D printing polymer parts

have become increasingly easy and affordable. However, in depth knowledge of material properties are still

essential for getting an optimal result. In addition, print quality is highly influenced by the settings chosen in

the slicing software for the 3D printers such as print speed, nozzle temperature, extrusion speed, and layer

height.

Approved for public release, AER2017xxxxx, xx-xx-17.

Electronics

The electronics and control suite is based on the open source Arduino eco system. An Arduino microprocessor

was used to actuate the drone based on sensor input from both on board sensors and a remote control unit.

Some of the electronics used may be seen in figures Figure 3-5 to Figure 3-10.The on board sensing is based

on the IMU 6050 This IMU gave accurate roll, pitch and yaw data through the I2C data connection, used for

actively stabilizing the drone. Furthermore, a potentiometer was used to sense the difference of roll between

the outer wheel and the inside reaction mass flywheel. This contributed as input to a nested PID controller

doing active stabilization, discussed more in depth below. For actuation purposed two high-torque 12V electric

motors where bought. This was used for the main drive, and for rocking the reaction flywheel. Two smaller

24V geared electric motors were implemented to spin the flywheel after command from the remote. Three

independent high-current/high-power motor drivers were used in conjunction with high-performing Li-Po

batteries, see the figures above.

The remote control unit was based on an Arduino Pro mini (not shown) with four XY joysticks, three toggle

switches, and three push buttons. This was powered by a separate power bank. The datalink was provided

by two Bluetooth modules as shown in Figure 3-8.

Li-Po Battery Safety

A draw back to the high-performing Li-Po batteries is the inherent fire danger. Li-Po batteries that are used in

high-power applications, are faulty, or are being charged and stored under suboptimal conditions, can

potentially self-combust. In this case a violent chemical fire breaks out. To protect the health and safety of the

personnel working with these drones and batteries in prototyping projects fireproof Li-Po Safe Boxes where

purchased. Furthermore a manual for proper use of the Li-Po batteries for future interns was created. For this

effort Kenneth Jensen and I were awarded with an award in the form of a Lockheed Martin Coin of Ethics and

Integrity.

Software

The software running on the microprocessors was developed as Arduino Sketches. This programming

language is similar in nature to the programming language C, but has a dedicated Integrated Development

Environment (IDE) and pre-built libraries. The software for the Roller Drone Version 3 was based on the

existing prototype software from XRobots, but heavily modified to suit the specifications of this project.

The software for the remote control was based on sensor inputs and the Bluetooth connection. The inputs

from the XY joysticks and the switches were read as analog and digital data in respectively. This was then

send over serial connection using an architecture based on a start marker, a series of integers and an end

marker, to be able to parse correct channels to correct controls for the drone. This data stream was then send

over Bluetooth to the drone.

The software for the drone consists of three parts. The first part takes data from the remote control unit from

the serial connection over Bluetooth and parses the information as integers into usable variables. The second

part reads data from the sensors on the drone and carries out calculation for stabilization action required for

active stabilization. The stabilization is implemented as one nested proportional-integral-derivative controller

(PID controller) for the side to side motion. For the forwards-backwards motion a single PID controller is used.

These take sensor data as input, set point data from the remote control, and provides an output to be used

for the motor drivers.

The largest part of the software development for the prototype was setting up the sensor acquisition and PID

controller parts, as the used I2C Devlib library was not well supported. Furthermore, safety concerns relating

to the operation of the drone was important. Several safety features was therefore implemented. Among these

were an auto-disable function. This disables the drone if the connection to the remote is lost. An emergency

stop function on the remote was also implemented.

Tuning up PID controllers was done manually, which proved to be a time consuming process. A PID controller

takes three constant values of input that determine the aggressiveness of the controller. To tune for an inherent

stabile, dampened system, opposed to an unstable, resonant system is adjusted only by changing these three

interconnected constants. This was carried out by a trial and error approach.

Autonomous Navigation

The design for the autonomous navigation and FOD identification system was given, but not build during this

internship. The system design was based on a senior design project carried out at the École polytechnique

fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), in Lausanne, Switzerland. This design uses four SHARP IR distance measuring

devices to carry out obstacle avoidance, and one conventional camera feed to do object recognition. The

object recognition is based on the OpenCV machine vision package and written in the programming language

Python. The prototype was used for identifying and collecting plastic bottles. However, the technique is

applicable to FOD in Lockheed Martin business areas as well. The technical solution involves training of a

neural network to carry out effective identification types of FOD that is likely encountered. This design is very

promising and technically feasible. All needed electronics has already been procured.

FOD Retrieval System

A FOD retrieval system has not yet been designed. However, the SMU senior design projects presented two

possible systems.

The first was a universal gripper type system. This system involves a flexible membrane, a particulate material

and a vacuum pump. The membrane with the particulate is forced onto the piece of FOD. Then air is removed

from the particulate making it very firm and unpliant. This securely grasps any shape or form of FOD. To

release the object, air is let into the particulate again. This type of system, was mounted on the outside shell

of the drone combined with an actuated drawer mechanism to retrieve and store the FOD. This allowed for

retrieval of small pieces of FOD, which the majority of FOD consists of. This could be for example screws,

caps, washers and the like. A primary advantage of this system, is that multiple pieces of FOD may be retrieved

during a single sortie.

The second, was a spherical iris mechanism. The main mode of operation of this system, involved having the

drone place itself next to a piece of FOD, open the iris mechanism, roll over the FOD, to then close the iris

mechanism and thus retrieve the FOD. This approach is challenged by the mechanical complexity of an iris

mechanism, but otherwise poses a good design option.

Further work on the Roller Drone in this field is expected to be carried out by future engineering interns.

Industry Collaboration

To gain a competitive advantage, a partner in industry has been sought for. Two companies have products

that are similar to the project specifications of the Roller Drone, and they have been contacted. The first

company is Sphero, a medium sized toy manufacturer producing a spherical robot of the same name. The

second is GuardBot, a small company focusing on research and capabilities.

The Sphero robot comprises of a hard outer shell and an internal drive mechanism. The robot is controlled

through Bluetooth through an app on a compatible smartphone. It is the size of a Softball. Initially this was

used as the drivetrain for the version 1 Roller Drone.

The GuardBot is the same is size of the Roller Drone version 3 in its standard configuration. It has a patented

drivetrain that makes it very stable and gives it a very long operational range. The company has previous

experience with operations very similar to what is expected of the Roller Drone. GuardBot is considered to be

an excellent candidate for further collaboration.

Outlook

In conclusion, the mechanical platform, drivetrain, controls and stabilization for the Roller Drone Version 3

prototype has been finished and demonstrated. The project is at a point where full operational functionality will

be added with autonomous navigation, a FOD identification capability, and FOD retrieval system. There are

suggestions and designs laid out for these. With these systems the first proof-of-concept of the autonomous

FOD identification and retrieval system can be made.

Approved for public release, AER2017xxxxx, xx-xx-17.

3.2 Suite of Drones

The suite of drones is an umbrella project for the individual drone prototype projects. The project aims toward

having the “right tool for the job” by having many autonomous drones working actively together in inspection,

maintenance, and repair operations. Most drone vehicles are suited for moving just in one environment: on

the ground, in the air, on, or in the aircraft structure. When all the information gathered by the different

autonomous vehicles are processed in a single system, the entirety of the aircraft manufacturing process may

be autonomously inspected.

Manual Inspections

Aircraft manufacturing operations are limited by the low scale of operations. At most, a series of aircraft will

be around 3000 ships, and operations must be flexible to accommodate this fact of doing business. This

means that investing large sums in specialized automated machinery is not economically viable. Thus, the

production line for even 5^th generation stealth fighters is dominated by manual labor. Inspections are no

exception to this. Most inspections in the production are simple visual inspections to check if the work has

been carried out to specifications. The two most used tools are flashlights and handheld mirrors to inspect

inside the aircraft structure, as seen in Figure 3-13.

These inspections are slowed down by the movement of the inspector to and from his desk to workstations.

Often human factors means that quality issues are not found during the inspections, or issues found are not

reported. Often, issues are reported in a way that the mechanic tasked with carrying out the re-work is not

able located it. This incurs much waiting time, and slows production tact time. It costs money to the

manufacturing operation.

Figure 3-13: Manual inspections of a F-35 centre fuselage at Northrup Grumman similar to those taking place in all

aircraft manufacturing operations at Lockheed Martin Aeronautics [5].

Continuous, Automated Inspection

A Suite of Drones would be able to do continuous inspections in production. This would mean that the operator

carrying out the task could be made aware of any parts outside of specifications, and immediate rework could

be done. Essentially, this would eliminate both the inspection (Q-step), the reporting and the rework processes.

This would contribute to cost reductions on all aircraft manufacturing operations throughout Lockheed Martin

Aeronautics.

Swarming

If the drones are to work together in a collaborative fashion, swarming is integral technology. Having inspection

flags being set by one drone and further inspected or even repaired by another with closer access allows the

individual drones to be more specialized and efficient in their task.

Suite of Sensors

When a multitude of different drone vehicles are applied, and they are all running similar systems, it is desirable

to have interchangeable sensors. Some inspection tasks may require visual inspection, roughness inspection,

depth measurements, 3D scans or even the application of tools. Different sensors will be applicable to these

different tasks. With this in mind a Suite of Sensors is proposed to be a part of the Suite of Drone project.

Having quickly interchangeable sensor will add value and efficiency to the Suite of Drones for the inspector.

Current Prototypes

The current robotic prototypes include the Roller Drone, a detailed account is given above. But also a crawler

drone that can inspect on all surfaces even in the inverted state has been designed and built. A robotic arm

for inspections is currently being developed, but the prototypes have been built.

Envisioned Prototypes

Future robotic platforms considered include a spider like design called the Spider Drone, a traditional flying

drone and a robotic prototype for internal inspections of tubing and pipes within the interior of the aircraft.

These may be seen in the figure on the next page.

Shark Tank Competition

The concept of the Suite of Drones won the 2018 Lockheed Martin Co. wide Shark Tank competition for

Innovation and Technology in front of 6 other elected projects. The competition that was held in Orlando,

Florida had the top 200 vice presidents and all technical fellows from all of Lockheed Martin’s 4 business

areas: Aeronautics, Missiles and Fire Control, Rotary and Mission Systems, and Space, in the 700 people

large crowd. In turn, a senior specialist board decided that the concept of the Suite of Drones for inspection

purposes was the most mature, feasible and impactful of the seven proposed projects. The project won and

was awarded a large prize in capital funding.

Competitive Environment

Other major aeronautics companies are heading down the same path and pursuing autonomous drone

technology themselves. This includes Airbus that in April of 2018 has released their first autonomous drone

for doing airliner inspections between flights reducing costly ground time. This is a part of their Hangar of the

Future and Skywise projects, that try aim to automate maintenance and repair operations. This will in turn

make flying the Airbus aircraft a competitive in the global marketplace. Boeing has similarly invested many

resources into the Boeing Drone Labs, where autonomous ground and flying drones are being built with aircraft

inspections in mind.

3.3 Inspector of the Future

The inspector of the future project was carried out to review the manufacturing inspection process. Focusing

on technological solutions to processes that are currently carried out manually, the entirety of the inspection

process was taken up for review. Three inspectors were shadowed covering all four main build areas: Wings,

Wing Systems, Electronic Mate and Alignment Systems (EMAS), and Final Assembly

Q-Step Call

Sheet

Write Rejection

or Acceptance

Review Specs

Report

Locate Ship and

Return to Desk

Mechanic

INSPECT

The inspection process may be seen in the figure above. It is based on a call board for all the stations in the

build area the inspector is tasked to. From this all the technical data for a given operation is reviewed. All

technical drawings and specifications that the operation must adhere to are specified. Then the inspector will

manually locate the build are and mechanic and carry out the inspection. After this a report will be generated

accepting the operation, or if faults have been identified a rejection report will be written.

Findings

Initial findings indicate that the process could be optimized by allowing the inspector to bring the software

systems physically with him. This would allow him to not return to his desk after each inspection. Often the

time spent walking to and from the desktop computer currently used exceeds that which is used on the actual

inspection. The inspection also offers possibilities for improvement. Human factors means that often faults are

overlooked or not properly documented. This means that faults will flow down the line, and be discovered in

later stages of assembly. At this point a mechanic unaccustomed to this particular job, will be tasked with

repairing the fault. This causes wait time in inspections, review of specifications that are new to the operator,

longer than necessary re-work time, wait time in inspection again, all the while a build team is waiting for the

part to be returned to within specifications. This is poses a major challenge to the production. See the figure

on the next page.

Recommendations

Technological solutions to the problems mentioned are readily available. A tablet computer could be acquired

for the inspectors to bring with them to the build areas. Smart glass technology is currently being developed

that would allow inspectors to see stepwise instructions for a given inspection. Some current technologies

allows the CAD model for a given build be overlaid with the physical structure. Having the specifications right

in front of the inspector would drastically reduce human factors. Having a portable printer for so called QAR

tags would reduce the time spent on inspections as well. The QAR tags are the tags used for rejection of a

part for a quality issue. Hand held tag printers are at the time of writing already in procurement.

Suite of Drones

However, the goal of Quality Technologies is to reduce inspection processes and time, preferably eliminate it

all together, increase quality and reduce costs. In this perspective, the Suite of Drones described in detail in

this report probably the most viable approach. The synergistic benefits from having the operators self-inspect

would make the Suite of Drones a desirable alternative. Carrying out immediate rework removes several

processes of inspection, re-work, waiting time and re-inspection increasing the efficiency of the manufacturing

line.

Figure 3-14 3D printers needed for further drone prototyping.

3.4 New Drone Laboratory

To accommodate the rapid prototyping of new drone prototypes a new lab facility has been set up. A plan for

what new capabilities should be brought into the lab was presented along with recommendations for new

equipment. The rapid prototyping currently undertaken is based on design in CAD software Catia V5, 3D

printed parts, and electronics prototyping based on the Arduino microcontrollers. New additions to the lab

capabilities is to support the rapid development of new prototype concepts and mature projects alike.

Electronics Manufacturing

Essential to prototyping is access common tools for electronics manufacturing and assembly. The current lab

has simple tools, and upgrades that are critically needed include a Station for Conventional and Surface Mount

soldering (SMS) applications, see Figure 3-15. However, a health and safety assessment is needed before

making this addition the laboratory facilities. Crimping tools for attaching connectors to wires are needed as

well.

Printed Circuit Boards

As projects mature into more progressed designs, prototyping wires become a hinder to furthering the design

and keeping a good overview of circuitry. Currently, bread boards and prototyping wires are used. Protoboards

would be needed for more complicated wiring of robotic prototypes. Conversely, bringing in a printed circuit

board (PCB) capability is not recommended. This process is involved and requires access to hazardous

chemicals and access to a dark room. A newer method of PCB production, using a laser printer, photo paper,

silver paste and a heat gun may be a viable option. Alternatively, PCBs may be bought from external suppliers.

3D Print Capability

Currently the 3D print capability is based on a single in-house 3D printer and usage of shared Lockheed Martin

assets. Since this capacity is becoming the bottleneck in development efforts, it is recommended adding

additional 3D printers to the inventory. Especially large format 3D printing is needed, see Figure 3-14.

Figure 3-15: Soldering holder tool and soldering station.

3.5 Training Courses

To work for Lockheed Martin as a quality engineer with the Quality Technologies team a series of trainings

are required. Each of the trainings contributed to giving the student interns a better understanding of the

approaches taken within aircraft manufacturing and quality inspections at Lockheed Martin Aeronautics.

FOD certification

Foreign object debris/damage (FOD) is a major concern for all aerospace manufacturers. Build areas are

continuously inspected for objects foreign to the build at all stages of assembly. Ultimately a piece of FOD left

in an aircraft may compromise flight critical systems during operations causing material damage or threaten

the life of the crew. FOD in fuel tanks may clog fuel lines causing engine malfunction. FOD left in flight control

areas may cause loss of control over the aircraft during flight. FOD lost in areas were electronics are present

may cause short circuits compromising electronic systems. All extremely critical emergencies to experience

during operation of the aircraft.

The FOD certification covered best practices for reducing FOD during manufacturing, inspection for FOD in

finished assemblies, and documentation of findings. The course was required before any direct contact with

the aircraft or aircraft subsystems was allowed.

PPV training

Product process verification (PPV) is a process in quality engineering to verify if manufacturing processes are

efficient and effective. Participants were trained to carry out a process that included reviewing operations

cards, detailed instructions used by mechanics to build the aircraft, shadow the mechanic carrying out the

task, and inspect the final result. PPV’s at Lockheed Martin Aeronautics follows operations cards that step-by-

step detail build operations. Op-cards that often leave quality issues will be reviewed to improve or re-arrange

the production steps for increased speed or quality. The skills learned during this training is directly related to

classic quality engineering tasks and is directly applicable to all other manufacturing environments.

PDCA problem solving training

Plan Do Check Adjust training is a methodology out of the Lean universe. At Lockheed Martin Aeronautics

this is used to document and plan projects. The training mainly focuses on the cycle of planning your work,

doing the work, checking for faults and adjusting accordingly. A widely used tool is the PCDA A4 that is used

to document a project. The training concluded with a certification in PCDA problem solving.

CATIA V5

Most of the aerospace industry uses CATIA V5 or Siemens NX as CAD software. These are powered to handle

thousands of parts in a single assembly, and have dedicated modules for aerospace design and

manufacturing. The CATIA V5 basic training gave skills in using this CAD software to design simple parts and

assemblies. This training was extremely useful as this was the software used by the Quality Technologies

team to design the robotic prototypes.

Innovation Garage training

The innovation garage is a facility at Lockheed Martin Aeronautics where additive manufacturing techniques

and rapid prototyping is encouraged. All employees may after taking this training do projects with the

equipment provided in this space. This may be for research or development, but also personal projects are

encouraged. In this facility, filament deposition (FDM) printers and a small electronics lab focused on the

Raspberry Pi miniaturized single board computer are available. The training focused on how to operate a 3D

printer, choosing the optimal settings for different parts, and how to do simple maintenance jobs. It also outlines

the Lockheed Martin Aeronautics general rules of conduct and health and safety considerations.

4 Personal Experiences

The professional gain and insights into an American work place that is so different than what it is in Europe is

one dimension of the internship program. A wholly different one is the personal experiences gained from living

abroad for half a year. The culture, the people, the scenery and the form of living are massive changes. It is

in my opinion completely invaluable for one’s ability to set perspective on one’s own life. For a future employer

it is also important to have employees with an outlook into the world beyond the borders of one’s own country.

This is especially true in a time where most all companies operate in the global market.

4.1 Working at Lockheed Martin Aeronautics

The working culture in the US is different from Denmark in many ways. Most Danes work 37 hour work weeks.

Americans work 40 hours a week. Danish employees usually have 6 weeks of paid vacation. Americans in

general only have 2 weeks. At Lockheed Martin a so called 9/80 schedule is followed by many employees. In

this schedule the employees work 80 hours over 9 work days in a 2 week cycle. This means that every other

Friday is a so called off Friday, and conversely that work days are generally longer than in most workplaces.

The company culture is also different. A large part of this is due to the sheer size of the workforce. The factory

employs around 12.000 people, and the Lockheed Martin Corporation employs more than 100.000 people.

This means that it is a society with its own values and norms, that at first a difficult to decipher. Lockheed

Martin Aeronautics is also infamous for its affinity towards the use of acronyms. Every part, every process and

every team has its own acronym. A document called Acromania is used to keep track of the thousands of

factory specific acronyms on a daily basis. So learning to speak the language is important for any new hire or

foreign engineering intern. The systematic pay and compensation schemes may also be unfamiliar to people

unaccustomed to large corporations. There are detailed requirements for pay and compensation for each class

and type of employee within Lockheed Martin, something rarer in Europe, where salary mostly is individually

negotiated based on qualifications and job responsibilities.

Rules, procedures and rigid formal processes is also part of any large corporation. At Lockheed Martin all of

these can be found in the online lookup service called the Aero Code. A document that details all procedures

for almost all incidents of the daily work.

In recent years, efforts to improve the corporate culture has been carried out. This effort has been named

Culture of Accountability. In this, problem solving and inter-team collaborations has been points of extra effort.

“Seeing, owning and doing” are the key mantras under the new corporate culture of accountability.

4.2 Aerospace and Defense Industry

Denmark is a small country with a very small aerospace and defense industry. For engineering interns to get

to work as an integrated part of the world’s largest military complex is an eye opening experience. The industry

operates in a political environment were democratically elected politicians legislates under which conditions

the industry operates, at the same time as they act as the end customer to many of the products. This means

that corporations in this industry must expertly navigate not only technology and business but to a high degree

also politics.

This internship, has provided incredible insights into an industry that is otherwise closed off for the normal

population. Behind a wall of rules regulating proprietary information (PI) and classified military projects, there

is a dedicated work force that works to support their own and allied countries every day. Completely dedicated

to the warfighter, it has some of the brightest minds working in Science and Technology applying their

knowledge to solving the defense engineering challenges of tomorrow every day.

4.3 Representing Denmark

For a country to invite foreign nationals into their national military industry, a large amount of trust has to exist.

The United States of America and Denmark has always had a strong political and military relationship, and

this is of course what this internship program is built on. That means that Danish interns are also expected to

act as representatives of their home country. This is a responsibility that will always be lived up to, and one

that the interns are constantly mindful of. That Lockheed Martin finds it valuable to have Danish engineering

interns as part of their innovative engineering team, is furthermore a testament to the quality of Danish

universities and engineering students. There would be no internship, if the Danish interns could not bring value

to the teams to which they are assigned.

Feature Article in Danish Newspaper

To attest to the interest that follows the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Program in Denmark, after receiving a public

honorary scholarship, a regional newspaper covering the western region of Denmark contacted me to do an

interview covering the internship. As there are many interested parties in the internship, the interview to be

conducted had to be approved from several entities. Since the official Danish sponsor was Terma A/S, they

were appropriately contacted and consulted on the situation. Also the Program Office for Denmark within

Lockheed Martin Aeronautics was asked to approve the interview.

Since I could not speak officially on behalf of neither Lockheed Martin Aeronautics, Terma nor the Danish

defense, the format was chosen to be a feature article based on the internship from the perspective of a Danish

engineering student interning at Lockheed Martin in the United States of America. The result was a full page

feature, providing the internship program with good public relations exposure.

Danish Minister of Industry, Business and Financial Affairs

As part of the Danish involvement in the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program, the Danish minister for Industry,

Business and Financial Affairs, Brian Mikkelsen, visited the Lockheed Martin Aeronautics plant on 7 March

2018. The minister came to sign an internship program for additionally three machinist apprentices to be

interning at the plant for 2 months in cooperation with Danish Industry and Dansk Metal two of the largest

Danish industry associations. At the meeting the Danish minister also held a half hour meeting with the 8

current interns. The topics discussed were Danish education, skills and relations with United States industry.

This meeting also indicated the political involvement and interest behind this internship program. Not only

does it strengthen political relations between Denmark and the United States, also Danish industry benefits

from a closer understanding and better relations with US defense industry. On a personal level it was a great

honor to meet one of the foremost politicians in the Danish political leadership.

Danish Fighter Pilot Students

Texas is home to a much of the American aviation industry owing to an early pioneering spirit within aviation.

It is also the home of the Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training program at Sheppard Airforce Base in Wichita

Falls. The air force base is located only two hours of driving north of Fort Worth. Since one of the interns had

a personal friend undergoing jet pilot training, the entire team was invited to visit the air force base. The Danish

interns were shown around the facility, had the opportunity to test their pilot skills in a T-38 Talon jet trainer

simulator, and was introduced to the flight gear used by fighter pilots. The type of jet trainer used was the

Northrop T-38 Talon. This aircraft has been in service since the 1960 and has an incredible heritage.

By chance, the Friday of the visit, was also the day that a class of fighter pilots graduated their training. We

were invited to the celebrations that included the ceremony were the newly trained fighter received their

deployments. The process called “being dropped” involved being given the future aircraft type they would be

flying and the air force base they would fly out of. Everything from big C-130 Hercules cargo planes to the 5^th

generation superiority fighter F-22 Raptor was issued, as well as of course the F-35 Lightning II. Deployments

were based on pilot skills and wishes.

Seeing the Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training and meeting the new fighter pilots was a very big experience.

These men and women are effectively the end customer to the work that we do. So getting to know some of

them personally was very rewarding.

4.4 Life in Texas

Everything is bigger in Texas. That is common knowledge, and going here has only confirmed the stereotype.

Texas is the biggest state in the United States, Texans drive big pickup trucks, and they live in large homes.

When Airforce Plant 4 that now houses Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co. was built, it was designed to feature

a 1 mile long factory floor. This was similar to other planned factories around the United States. However,

since everything had to be bigger in Texas, the local community raised funds locally to build the factory 20

feet longer than any other plant, or so the story goes, at least.

Marquis at Stonegate

The interns have for many years lived in an apartment complex near South Hulen Street, called Marquis at

Stonegate, see Figure 4-5. Conveniently located only a 10 minute drive from Lockheed Martin Aeronautics, it

makes commuting easy. The three apartments are also located in the very same building, one on each floor.

This has contributed to the very good coherency of the group and a feeling of camaraderie. The pool area and

outdoor grill, being a welcome addition to what you usually find in Denmark, has been frequently used. Texan

weather being much better and warmer than Danish weather, has also invited for the use of both of these

facilities. Generally, living in the large, luxurious apartments at Stonegate has been a very good experience.

Cars and Coffee

Americans love their cars, and they have a great car culture. Cars tend to be larger, have larger engines and

be more powerful. Engines with 6 cylinders ordinary, and V8’s are commonplace. Since Denmark has a 25%

sales tax, a 150% state registration fee and gasoline is 3 times as expensive as in Texas, these type of

characteristics appear very exotic. Point in case: among the most sold cars in Denmark in 2017 were the

micro-compact car Peugeot 208, while in the United States the large, powerful Ford F-150 pick-up truck year

after year consistently sells more than any other car.

Every first Saturday of the month, the petrol heads of the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex meet from 6.30 pm to

11.00 in the carpark of the Plano BMW dealership to show off their beautifully maintained and tricked out

exotics, classics, hyper and muscle cars, pickup trucks, hot rods and motorcycles. From all different motoring

fields all at once, they all enjoy a shared interest in cars. The BMW dealership clears out the parking lot free

of charge, to fit the more than 1000 privately owned exhibition worthy cars and more than 2000 visitors. The

spirit of the event is amazing. The soundscape of high performance engines and the excited cheering of the

crowd is an experience not soon forgotten. The event concept is not exclusive to Dallas-Fort Worth nor to

Texas, but is nationwide and known under the name: Cars and Coffee.

NASCAR

Another popular motoring event is the NASCAR races, see Figure 4-6. The Texas Motor speedway oval circuit

is located half a half hour drive north of Dallas-Fort worth. With its sheer size, it is an attraction in itself. The

speedway can seat up to 180.000 spectators, making it far larger than anything in Denmark. However, the

cars themselves are real attraction. With high octane V8 engines that output more than 850 bhp, the stock

cars can reach speeds of more than 200 mph (around 300 km/h). The roar of 43 of these stock cars when

they pass all at once after safety car laps is deafening. You can literally feel earth rumble as the lineup passes.

Not bringing ear protection for a NASCAR race is a rookie mistake, that some of the interns did. However,

most importantly, the interns did remember to bring beer for so called tailgating, the party in the parking lot

sitting out of the tailgate of the cars,

Fast Food

The food culture in Texas is based around the Mexican food culture of jalapenos, beans and flatbread tortillas,

the Texan Tex-Mex is thus a spicy food culture. It is delicious. Owing to the Fort Worth heritage of cattle

breeding, and the name Cow town, steaks are better in Fort Worth, Texas than anywhere in the world. All

Texans will tell you this, and I am willing to agree. Classic BBQ such as seen in Figure 4-7, is also popular.

However, as is the case of most of the United States, the food eaten is rarely home cooked. Texas, as most

Americans, eat at restaurants or at fast food vendors for most meals. Wendy’s, Burger King, What-A-Burger

and the like are everywhere, but especially Chick-Fil-A became a favorite for the Danish interns. The best food

however, comes out of “hole in the wall” places. The small, not always sanitary looking places often offers the

best taste and often at the same time at the best price.

4.5 Travelling

A big part of the internship has been travelling, and using the long weekends allowed by the 9/80 schedule.

This has taken the group all across Texas, and some people have gone as far as New York, Washington D.C.

and Arizona. In travelling you get an understanding of why many Americans have never been out of the United

States. Even in Texas, all kinds of climates and terrains can be found. Everything from forests, deserts,

beaches, prairies and farmland are within the state borders. Florida and California are suited for beach

vacations with great weather, while Wyoming and Colorado offers excellent skiing in the Rocky Mountains.

San Antonio

The first trip went to San Antonio. Close to the Mexican border, the city is most known for the battle of the

Alamo that took place in 1836. This battle was instrumental to the formation for the Texas Revolution. The city

features a Riverwalk with restaurants and bars, where people can cool off shaded from the Texas sun.

Arizona Airshows /

By luck, this year he marine core airshow at Marine Core Air Station Yuma and the air force airshow at Luke

Air Force Base were scheduled for the same weekend, Saturday and Sunday respectively. This meant that a

long weekend trip was possible to go see all the aircraft on display from the two branches of the US military.

At the Yuma airshow, the main attractions were air displays of the marine core only Bell-Boeing V-22 Osprey,

the Harrier Jump jet and of course the F-35B Lightning II showing the its STOVL capabilities. An air force

Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor air superiority fighter also made an unexpected but welcome appearance, see

Figure 4-8.

The airshow at Luke AFB focused on air force aircraft. On air display where among other the iconic A-10

Warthog and the C-130J Hercules. Ground displays included the F-16 Fighting Falcon and Lockheed Martin

C-5 Galaxy cargo plane, meaning that all of the Lockheed Martin lineup excluding the U-2 Dragon lady spy

plane, the T-50 trainer jet and the P-3 Orion had been seen.

Pima Space and Air museum

This air museum is the world's largest non-government funded aerospace museums. With 300 aircraft placed

on 80 acres of land, most all of the American and European iconic aircraft are parked either in their hangars

or outside under the Arizona sun, see Figure 4-9. Among the most iconic aircraft on display is the SR-71

Blackbird, the world’s fastest production aircraft, capable of outrunning surface-to-air missiles and also a

Lockheed innovation. Yet another is the Lockheed Constellation a beautiful piston engine airliner from 1943

featuring a design much ahead of its time.

Aircraft Boneyard Tour

A true singular experience however, was the Pima guided tour to the neighbouring Davis-Monthan Air Force

Base, see Figure 4-10. Home to the Air Force Materiel Command's 309th Aerospace Maintenance and

Regeneration Group (AMARG), better known as The Aircraft Boneyard. At this facility all decommissioned or

store aircraft from all branches of the US military is stored in the Arizona desert. The dry heat of the desert

naturally prevents corrosion on the aircraft. Furthermore, the hard soil makes it possible to move aircraft

around without having to pave the storage areas. Here, thousands of different aircraft models ranging from F-

16 Falcon fighter aircraft, over helicopters and B-52 bombers to heavy airlifter C-5 Galaxy aircraft will be held

for later recommission or disassembly for years or even decades. The sheer size of the operation was breath

taking and unlike anything else on earth.

Hops and Props

With its rich aviation heritage being home to companies such as General Dynamics, Consolidated Vultee,

Aircraft Corp./Convair, Bell Helicopters and Lockheed Martin Aeronautics, Fort Worth of course also has an

aviation Museum of its own. In addition, Fort Worth also has many good local breweries that all produce

excellent beer. This all comes together in a beautiful union at the Hops and Props event that takes place every

spring. This offers a great opportunity to go and taste the all the different brews, at the same time that you can

enjoy iconic aircraft such as the locally built F-111 Aardvark and Bell 206 JetRanger. The local helicopter

school was also present selling roundtrips over downtown Fort Worth. It did not require many minutes of

thought, before I had my first flight of over Fort Worth in a Robinson R-44 Raven helicopter on a beautiful,

clear spring day.

5 Conclusion

The Suite of Drones concept, including the Suite of Sensors has been laid out. A detailed explanation of how

project fits into the overall vision for the future of the inspection process and the Inspector of The Future project

as applied to the manufacturing operations carried out at Lockheed Martin Aeronautics has been given. The

mechanical platform, drivetrain, controls and active stabilization system for the Roller Drone Version 3

prototype has been finished and demonstrated. The project is at a point where full operational functionality will

be added with autonomous navigation, a FOD identification capability, and FOD retrieval system. There are

suggestions and designs laid out for these, however, not given in this report. With these systems the first

proof-of-concept of the autonomous FOD identification and retrieval system can be made.

The recommendations for tools and capabilities additions for the new drone laboratory has been given. These

include adding further electronics manufacturing and 3D printing capabilities for the Quality Technologies

Drone Laboratory for faster rapid prototyping of new drone platforms to further the Suite of Drones project.

Lastly, an account of the personal experiences made is given. Specifically how it has been working at

Lockheed Martin Aeronautics, working in the aerospace and defense industry, focused storytelling about living

in Texas and the United States and how this is different from life in Denmark and Europe has been told.

Particular the task of representing Denmark to Lockheed Martin both directly and indirectly has been a learning

experience, epitomized by the visit of the Danish Minister of Finance, Business and Industry at the

manufacturing plant of the F-35 Lightning II. This shows the importance and visibility this internship has both

at Lockheed Martin in the United States and in Denmark in relation to the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Program.

It has been an incredible experience working for five months at Lockheed Martin Aeronautics, Fort Worth,

Texas in the United States. The insights gained about the aerospace industry, the familiarity with large

international corporations, and the F-35 Joint Strike fighter program are invaluable to an engineering student

and extremely relevant to Danish industry. It has truly been a once in a lifetime experience!

References

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Martin

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2014.

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first-f-35-aircraft-to-be-assembled-in-japan.

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[Online].

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