Experimental Flight Test Validation of the IPEV’s Optical Tracking System (SisTrO)

This paper presents the experimental validation of the Optical Tracking System (SisTrO), developed by the Brazilian Air Force's Flight Test and Research Institute (IPEV), for real-time trajectory analysis in external store separation tests. The primary goal was to integrate SisTrO into flight test operations and assess its accuracy against established metrics. SisTrO demonstrated satisfactory performance in real-time trajectory tracking, facilitating four inert bomb release events. The system’s data accuracy was benchmarked against the TrackEye tool, with results showing adequate accuracy for determining release safety. However, while SisTrO proved effective for safety assessment, it exhibited limitations in real-time validation of six degrees of freedom (6DoF) trajectory models, requiring further refinement for high-fidelity trajectory modeling. The study identifies necessary improvements, including resolving 2D coordinate acquisition challenges, mitigating adverse lighting conditions and lens fogging issues, and enhancing the system’s capability to provide live video feedback to both flight crew and ground telemetry teams. These developments are essential for advancing SisTrO’s application in sophisticated separation test scenarios, ensuring higher flight safety levels and greater operational efficiency and reliability.