The Supersonic Shape-Shifting Bomber

Posted on: Jun. 25th, 2006 || Source: popsci.com | E-mail Article | Print Article

The Supersonic Shape-Shifting Bomber

Popular Science Magazine reports on an interesting new project by DARPA and Northrop Grumman; the Oblique Flying Wing. The supersonic craft can vary the sweep of its wing for the most efficient flight performance.

Back in March DARPA selected Northrop to develop prototypes of the OFW, which will be completed in November 2007. The protoype phase of this program is worth a total of $14 million.

In a press release, Northrop envisions the first flight of the OFW in 2010 or 2011.
The oblique flying wing would vary its wing sweep (the angle of the wing's leading edge relative to the direction of flight) depending on its speed. At low speeds the wing sweep is relatively low, providing an efficient aerodynamic design. At high speeds the wing is highly swept, reducing supersonic wave drag.

The supersonic design envisioned by the OFW program offers potential benefits for missions requiring rapid deployment, long range and long endurance. In theory, an oblique flying wing could maximize its performance in every flight regime: takeoff or landing, high or low altitude, supersonic or subsonic speed.

--A portion of the PopSci article follows:--

For years, the U.S. military has wanted a plane that could loiter just outside enemy territory for more than a dozen hours and, on command, hurtle toward a target faster than the speed of sound. And then level it. But aircraft that excel at subsonic flight are inefficient at Mach speeds, and vice versa. The answer is Switchblade, an unmanned, shape-changing plane concept under development by Northrop Grumman.

When completed (target date: 2020), it will cruise with its 200-foot-long wing perpendicular to its engines like a normal airplane. But just before the craft breaks the sound barrier, its single wing will swivel around 60 degrees (hence the name) so that one end points forward and the other back. This oblique configuration redistributes the shock waves that pile up in front of a plane at Mach speeds and cause drag. When the Switchblade returns to subsonic speeds, the wing will rotate back to perpendicular.

Read the full article

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