Illustration of the airflow along an airfoil that exhibits leading-edge stall behavior. Notice the formation of a “short bubble” at a critical point along the leading edge. When the AOA is increased ...

A swept forward wing configuration, like that visible on the Su-47, is known for its impact upon airflow and drag, aerodynamic characteristics which of course greatly impact maneuverability. A ...

Suppose the identical quality that renders a fighter aircraft revolutionary is also the one that keeps it from ever actually flying as a weapon of war. The Sukhoi Su-47 Berkut is a stark case history ...

Initial flight testing explores the characteristics of the airplane as it is initially configured. At this point, the designers have done their best to create a machine that is safe to fly, meets all ...

This figure shows the comparison of the spatial distributions of the time-averaged flow field before and after drooping the leading edge in the form of u-velocity sections. With the drooping leading ...

Summary and Key Points: The F-16 SFW (Forward-Swept Wing) was an experimental fighter developed by General Dynamics in the 1970s as part of DARPA’s Forward Swept Wing Program. Designed to reduce drag ...

In Part 2, we discussed Learjet’s research into improving the stall characteristics of its aircraft. Bombardier’s Clinton E. Tanner, senior technical advisor of flight sciences, points out that ...