Air Force Institute of Technology

The Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT) is a scientific and research organization established in 1953. It is supervised by the Polish MOD. Its mission is scientific support and research into problems of operating the military products of aeronautical engineering. The Institute's development strategy intends to increase research potential through participation in international projects conducted within the programs of the European Union, as well as the European Defence Agency as well as offset programs.

AFIT holds NATO NCAGE code 0481H. In addition, it has the state concession number B-404/2003, granted by the Ministry of the Interior and Administration for economic activities in the manufacture and trading of weapons, munitions, and other military and police-intended products and technologies. Its quality-management system is consistent with both the NATO AQAP and national one PN-EN standardization documents, and its research laboratories have certificates of accreditation from the Polish centre for accreditation. It also has an internal control system.
 

Ground and Flight Tests

AFIT provides a wide variety of complex ground and in-flight tests, including aircraft and helicopters certificate tests. It also tests pilot's individual equipment, airborne high-altitude and rescue systems, airborne and ground systems to transmit or display flight parameters, and it designes and develops of flight-test dedicated measuring and recording systems.

It also provides certification tests of aeronautical products introduced into service with the Polish Air Force, including air armament, as well as simulation tests based on models of aircraft flight dynamics. AFIT additionally develops and tests aerial rocket targets used for air defence forces training.
 

Aircraft Weapon Systems

AFIT can upgrade weapon systems for aircraft, as well as develop new designs of air weapons and aerial targets (bombs, airborne rocket launchers and bomb fuses), and new ground-based and flying testing systems for air forces. It also tests air weapons after warranty periods guaranteed by deliverers/OEMs to extend service-life, upgrades the on-board attack avionics systems for aircraft and helicopters.
 

Aircraft Simulation, Training and Modelling

The aircraft simulation and modeling capabilities of AFIT include formulation of mathematical models of aircraft-flight dynamics and air weapons, performance of radar stations and missile-guiding stations, certification tests of aircraft-flight simulators, and development of multimedia training systems (e-learning). It also provides training systems and flight simulators for flight control officers, interception navigators, pilots, and air-traffic controllers.
 

Aircraft Safety and Reliability Testing

AFIT emphasis on reliability and safety means It provides air-accident investigation development, computer-aided systems to assist aircrafts' operational-phase management, and testing of materials used in aeronautical structural components. It also supplies systems to record parameters of aero-engine performance, non-destructive testing of structures engineering objects, service-life tests of structural components, and flight-data decoding systems. In addition, it examines operational damage and failures to aeronautical structures, and can help extend aircraft service-life and the time necessary between overhauls.

 

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs)

AFIT provides new UAVs and applications, UAV software, air-reconnaissance-delivered imagery analysis and distribution systems, and UAV operator training.

 

Aircraft surveillance systems

AFIT supplies stationary and mobile terrain aircraft surveillance systems and systems to protect widespread areas (e.g. airbases and harbors).

 

Avionics systems

• Avionics system ground and airborne equipment
• Integration of avionics systems into aircraft and helicopters
• Development of operational-phase assisting diagnostic instruments and systems
• Integration and maintenance of LINK, GPS and CSAR systems
• Integrated self – 7 protection systems

Aeronautical and airfield systems diagnostics

AFIT can conduct aircraft engine certification tests, and geological and engineering surveys of soils. It also develops diagnostic software, designs diagnostic stations to test components of aeronautical structures and predicts the service lives of aeronautical structure materials.
 

Aircraft fuel and utility fluid testing

AFIT supplies quality assessment of engine fuels, lubricating oils, lubricating greases, preservatives, engine coolants, break fluids, industrial (processing) fluids, bio-fuels and bio-components for fuels and oils. It also develops technologies for operating fluids of synthetics, mineral and bio-components.
 

Laboratories

There are 9 research laboratories at the Air Force Institute of Technology, which are awarded Certificates of Accreditation by the Polish Centre for Accreditation:
 

• Fuel and Lubricants
• Mechanical and Climatic Hazards
• Pressure Measuring
• Health Monitoring of Fluid-Flow Machines
• Working Liquids
• Materials Strength Testing
• Material Research on Aircraft Structures
• Unit for Product Certification
• LINK-16 System Integration
   

Products – Training – Services

Each year the Institute develops a dozen or so standardization-oriented topics and lends several hundred standardization documents. Standardization resources of ITWL comprise approximately 3000 documents in the forms of Polish Standards (PN), Defense Standards (NO), NATO standardization documents (STANAG, AAP, AQAP, and other ones), International Standards (ISO, IEC, ASTM, and other ones), European Standards (EN), and US military standards (MIL).
 

Main ITWLs Partners & Clients:

• Governmental Institutions
• Universities
• Scientific Institutes
• Research & Development Institutes
• Enterprises
   

AFIT is a member of:

• Polish Technology Platform for Aeronautics
• Polish Technology Platform on Security Systems
• Polish Biofuels and Biocomponents Technology Platform
   

The development strategy of the Institute is directed at increasing research potential through starting a cooperation with partners from Poland, Europe and outside of Europe.

The priorities of ITWL's development include participation in:
 

• The 7th Framework Programme of the European Union,
• Offset programmes,
• European Defence Agency,
• Others.
   

Desired partners' profile

ITWL searches for partners in order to submit common research proposals for funding from the European Union's budget, especially to the 7th Framework Programme, as well as for funding from other programmes supporting European cooperation in R&T (EUREKA, "Force Protection" - EDA, offset). We are particularly interested in cooperation with:
 

• Academia, research and development entities, enterprises, "end users";
• Aeronautics, energy, machine and defence industry;
• EU Member States, the USA, as well as other countries.