The National Institute for Aviation Research (NIAR) at Wichita State University has completed a groundbreaking program for the Office of Naval Research (ONR), successfully demonstrating – for the first time – a fully digital engineering approach to helicopter troop seat development and certification, from concept through final approval.

The program, Helicopter Troop Seat Digital Engineering Process from Conceptual Design to Certification by Analysis Using vATDs and iPredict Human Body Models, integrated a validated building-block methodology, virtual anthropomorphic test devices (vATDs), and ONR’s iPredict finite element Human Body Model. Together, these advanced tools established a technically sound pathway from conceptual design to certification by analysis without requiring a traditional full-scale physical development test.

By eliminating all full-scale static and dynamic development tests, the program achieved a 100 percent reduction in physical developmental testing and cut the development and certification timeline from approximately three years to less than two. These results demonstrate that when verification and validation (V&V) simulation methods, building-block testing, and digital thread infrastructure are sufficiently mature, troop seat systems can be developed significantly faster and at lower cost, while improving warfighter survivability.

The effort builds on more than 30 years of seat dynamic modeling expertise within NIAR’s Advanced Virtual Engineering and Test Lab (AVET), led by Gerardo Olivares, director and senior research scientist. In addition to evaluating performance across the 5th to 95th percentile warfighter population using traditional ATDs, the team incorporated human body models directly into the design cycle. This enabled deeper insight into injury mechanisms and biomechanical responses that conventional ATDs cannot capture, supporting more physics-based design decisions for enhanced survivability.

Following completion of the virtual certification process, East/West Industries Inc. produced full-scale prototype test articles. NIAR AVET conducted physical tests to verify that the digitally developed and certified seat satisfied all required MIL-specification criteria. In parallel, NIAR AVET and the Injury Biomechanics Research Center at The Ohio State University, led by director John Bolte, executed Post-Mortem Human Subject sled tests to validate the occupant response trends predicted by the iPredict model.

A key additional outcome of the program is the creation of an authoritative digital thread dataset to support future AI-enabled design, compliance tracking, and continued reductions in development-to-delivery timelines.

This program demonstrates the transformational potential of combining V&V simulation methods, building-block testing, digital engineering, vATDs, and iPredict Human Body Models to modernize the development and certification of safety-critical warfighter protection systems.

The final ONR report was released on March 31.

Special thanks to:

• NIAR AVET team
• Dr. Bentley, ONR program technical monitor, for his support and leadership
• Mike Vetter and Anthony Squillante, East/West Industries Inc., for their collaboration and forward-thinking adoption of these methods

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About NIAR

The National Institute for Aviation Research (NIAR) at Wichita State University provides research, testing, certification, and training services support the aviation, defense, and advanced manufacturing industries. NIAR’s mission is to strengthen university research capabilities; provide applied learning opportunities for students; and support the aviation and manufacturing industries – while driving innovation and prosperity for the community, region, and state. Established in 1985, NIAR has a $400 million annual budget, more than 2,000 personnel and over 2 million square feet of laboratory and office space in six locations across Wichita, Kan., and one in Huntsville, Ala.