Design of a standardized sensor platform for a C-130 aircraft

The development of a standardized sensor pallet system for a C-130 aircraft was conceived by the National Guard to assist in counterdrug reconnaissance activities within the United States. Before development, the design parameters were established by the National Guard mission requirements and by the limitations of the C-130 aircraft. These limitations include using Commercial off the Shelf (COTS) and Government off the Shelf (GOTS) items when developing the system that must be universal on all C-130 aircraft variants B thru H. Further design criteria are delegated by the limitations of the C-130 aircraft. The following work describes the design process concentrating on engineering analysis and the selection process used to design and develop a prototype system to assist the National Guard in their reconnaissance activities. A comprehensive evaluation has been conducted on alternative configurations and approaches for achieving optimal tradeoffs between cost, performance and reliability criteria.