Altair, a leader in computational intelligence, announced it acquired Research in Flight (maker of FlightStream). Research in Flight provides computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software with a large footprint in the aerospace and defense sector and a growing presence in marine, energy, turbomachinery, and automotive applications.
FlightStream is a user-friendly flow solver that bridges the gap between high-fidelity CFD simulations and engineers’ and designers’ needs. Its rapid computational speeds, low hardware footprint, streamlined user interface, and robust aerodynamic solver make it a valuable tool for early-stage rapid design iterations and in-depth aerodynamic studies for aerospace and defense applications and beyond.
FlightStream can capture subsonic to supersonic flows, including compressible effects and a unique surface vorticity capability. And it utilizes the strengths of panel method flow solvers and enhances them with modern computational techniques to provide a fast solver capable of handling complex aerodynamic phenomena.
FlightStream enables the rapid analysis of unconventional aircraft using a unique surface vorticity, flow-separation, and viscous analysis capability for both powered and unpowered configurations. It is augmented with integral boundary layer modeling, enabling users to capture viscous effects with a level of detail uncommon in traditional panel method applications. This integration facilitates a comprehensive aerodynamic performance analysis, providing insights crucial for design optimization.
Along with Ahuja, Research in Flight was co-founded by Roy Hartfield, who has dedicated over 30 years to studying aerodynamics, propulsion, statistical analysis of air vehicles, and aircraft research. Hartfield is an aerospace engineering professor at the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering at Auburn University.
FlightStream is US Air Force network-approved software used at NASA Ames and Langley Research Centers and by the U.S. Army. It will be integrated into the Altair HyperWorks design and simulation platform and available via Altair Units.
KEY QUOTES:
“Our growth in the aerospace, defense, and surrounding industries has accelerated in recent years through our best-in-class computational intelligence solutions. The integration of FlightStream into our portfolio will enhance our offering with its specialized, modern, and efficient approach to meet the increasingly complex customer demands in these industries, including the urban air mobility and eVTOL sectors.”
- James R. Scapa, founder and chief executive officer, Altair
“We are proud to be a standard tool in the aircraft designer’s toolbox. Joining Altair will allow us to scale and reach countless engineers seeking best-in-class, powerful, and specialized tools for faster design iterations.”
- Vivek Ahuja, co-founder, Research in Flight
