Aurora Flight Sciences has enhanced its Centaur hardware-in-the-loop simulator (HILSim), making it easier for teams to test and refine flight systems before any hardware takes off. The upgraded HILSim uses a full Centaur airframe with the same hardware and software as the company’s optionally piloted aircraft (OPA), allowing engineers to accurately predict aircraft behaviour during flight.

“The Centaur HILSim gives us a nearly complete picture of how hardware and software interact under realistic flight conditions,” says software engineer Erica Powers of Aurora Flight Sciences. “It allows us to uncover integration issues early and resolve challenges faster and more efficiently while still on the ground.”

A recent test campaign validated the interface between the Centaur’s mission management system (MMS) and Aurora’s autonomy framework, Autonomy Core (ACore). The simulation confirmed stable communication and fault recovery even under demanding conditions.

“Validating the MMS to ACore interface in simulation gave us a level of confidence that would have taken weeks of flight time to achieve,” adds Powers.

Aurora says this validation established a common interface for autonomy testing across its SKIRON-X small UAS, foam-constructed surrogate air vehicle and Centaur platforms. Engineers can now progress seamlessly from testing Group 1 and 2 drones to Group 4 twin-engine aircraft.

HIL simulation has become integral to Aurora’s flight test process, providing valuable insight that reduces flight risk and shortens schedules. “HILSim ensures that when an aircraft moves from ground to flight testing, system behaviours are well understood and the flight tests can focus more on refinement rather than troubleshooting,” says Powers.