Mitigating Aircraft Damage With A New Generation of Fuel Tank Sensors

By Brian Marquardt, Ph.D., Founder and Chief Science Officer, MarqMetrix

There are very real possibilities for military aircraft vehicles to be shot down in a combat situation. Damage can hardly be prevented from ballistic hits, but the extent of damage can now be mitigated through advances in robust optical oxygen sensor technology. In the middle of flight or in a combat situation, there is no way to know with any level of certainty that the system is in working order, so sensors are needed to be placed for vital readings near all fuel tanks.  A solution to this problem is nanoencapsulation technology that can eliminate sensor degradation problems, making it possible for sensors to be installed inside military aircraft fuel tanks. This white paper describes how these sensor technology developments are able to provide pilots with immediate temperature, pressure, and oxygen concentration readings of fuel tanks in the duration of a flight.