Summary of the Integrated Adaptive Wing Technology Maturation Wind Tunnel Tests of a High Aspect Ratio Commercial Transport Aircraft

The Integrated Adaptive Wing Technology Maturation program is a cooperative effort between NASA and Boeing to demonstrate and validate control and sensing technologies necessary to enable higher aspect ratio flexible transport aircraft. The culmination of this program was a pair of wind-tunnel tests in the Transonic Dynamics Tunnel at NASA's Langley Research Center: the first occurring July through August 2024 and the second June through July 2025. Both tests utilized a semispan wind-tunnel model of a commercial transport aircraft based on an aspect ratio 13.5 version of the NASA Common Research Model. The first entry focused on open-loop aerodynamic and aeroservoelastic characterization of the wind-tunnel model and the second entry tested closed-loop control laws for drag optimization, maneuver load alleviation, gust load alleviation, and active flutter suppression. This paper summarizes the two test entries, open- and closed-loop testing results, and lessons learned that are applicable to the design and wind-tunnel testing of high aspect ratio, thin wing, commercial transport aircraft.