The main objective of this thesis is to introduce the reader to the problematics of air-launch and to a custom design solution applying this concept. The specifics of this method of bringing a payload into orbit are described and explained. Overview of projects which use aircraft to launch spacecraft is included. Determination of primary parameters of a launch vehicle designed to carry a payload of a specified mass is conducted. The required flight performance has been estimated, a computational model has been developed in software MATLAB, and a multidisciplinary optimization of the design parameters has been performed using a genetic algorithm optimization method. Parameters of the designed air-launched rocket are compared with those of a ground-launched rocket. According to the specific criteria, the Airbus A310-300 aircraft was selected as the most suitable transport aircraft to be used for launching the designed launch vehicle. The last part of the thesis is devoted to the proposal of necessary modifications and estimation of the flight performance.

Modern-day terrorist attacks present a considerable danger for commercial aircrafts. This thesis analyzes potential methods of such attacks with a critical analysis of the most dangerous type: an attack from the outside of the aircraft via a fragmentation missile warhead. Such missiles cause damage to the airframe of the aircraft through fragments created by the explosion. In this thesis, analytical geometry is used to determine the area of the aircraft affected by the fragmentation. The aircraft’s geometry and the fragments’ dispersion are calculated by analytical functions, and the effect of the damage is analyzed. A shooting experiment was also carried out, in which fragments were shot at a reinforced skin panel that was manufactured according to the real design of commercial aircraft. The results of the experiment revealed that only directly hit sections of the structure are damaged. Data obtained by the experiment was then used for the creation and improvement of the model used in the simulation by means of the finite element method. This model is used for the numerical calculation of the damage sustained. Further included in the thesis is an analysis of the change in the load-bearing capacity after such an attack. The relationship between the size of the damage and its effect on the load-bearing capacity of the component as well as the entire structure is defined. First, the effect of component damage is analyzed via the FMEA/FMECA methods. This analysis is then extended using fuzzy logic. Fuzzy logic analysis is based on the determination of the size of the damaged component area and the component’s importance on the structure’s carry loads. Application of the defined approach is described for several parts of an aircraft’s life cycle, including development, operation after the terrorist attack, and assessment of causes after a crash caused by a fragmentation missile warhead.

Modern-day terrorist attacks present a considerable danger for commercial aircrafts. This thesis analyzes potential methods of such attacks with a critical analysis of the most dangerous type: an attack from the outside of the aircraft via a fragmentation missile warhead. Such missiles cause damage to the airframe of the aircraft through fragments created by the explosion. In this thesis, analytical geometry is used to determine the area of the aircraft affected by the fragmentation. The aircraft’s geometry and the fragments’ dispersion are calculated by analytical functions, and the effect of the damage is analyzed. A shooting experiment was also carried out, in which fragments were shot at a reinforced skin panel that was manufactured according to the real design of commercial aircraft. The results of the experiment revealed that only directly hit sections of the structure are damaged. Data obtained by the experiment was then used for the creation and improvement of the model used in the simulation by means of the finite element method. This model is used for the numerical calculation of the damage sustained. Further included in the thesis is an analysis of the change in the load-bearing capacity after such an attack. The relationship between the size of the damage and its effect on the load-bearing capacity of the component as well as the entire structure is defined. First, the effect of component damage is analyzed via the FMEA/FMECA methods. This analysis is then extended using fuzzy logic. Fuzzy logic analysis is based on the determination of the size of the damaged component area and the component’s importance on the structure’s carry loads. Application of the defined approach is described for several parts of an aircraft’s life cycle, including development, operation after the terrorist attack, and assessment of causes after a crash caused by a fragmentation missile warhead.