Diesel engine application on AEW&C turboprop effectiveness-cost assessment

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to perform a technical and economical analysis on the conversion of a regional turboprop platform for Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) missions by supposing installation of supplementary diesel turbo-charged engines.Design methodology approach - The problem has been approached by considering all issues related to conversion to AEW&C platform. Class II methods have been used for weight and drag estimations. Flight performances have been evaluated by using standard equations of flight mechanics. Costs have been evaluated by using a model developed by the authors.Findings - As far as performances are concerned, it is possible to increase aircraft service ceiling of about 4,400 ft by installing auxiliary diesel engines in separate wing-nacelles. The low specific fuel consumption (SFC) of diesel engines balances the reduction of mission endurance caused by the aerodynamic drag increment (i.e. additional drag of AEW radar antenna and new nacelles). The proposed solution is shown to have the best Effectiveness-Cost performance in comparison with other AEW&C aircraft-systems.Practical implications - To convert regional turboprops to AEW&C platform by employing turbocharged diesel engines could be an interesting future perspective for aerospace companies interested in creating a new AEW&C market segment.Originality value - The proposed solution gives the possibility to reduce operating costs in the AEW&C mission field. The issue is actual due to typical high operating costs of AEW&C missions.