Sunday, January 29, 2023
  • About us
    • Write for us
    • Disclaimer
    • Terms of use
    • Privacy Policy
  • RSS Feeds
  • Advertise with us
  • Contact us
DefenceTalk
  • Home
  • Defense News
    • Defense & Geopolitics News
    • War Conflicts News
    • Army News
    • Air Force News
    • Navy News
    • Missiles Systems News
    • Nuclear Weapons
    • Defense Technology
    • Cybersecurity News
  • Military Photos
  • Defense Forum
  • Military Videos
  • Military Weapon Systems
    • Weapon Systems
    • Reports
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Defense News
    • Defense & Geopolitics News
    • War Conflicts News
    • Army News
    • Air Force News
    • Navy News
    • Missiles Systems News
    • Nuclear Weapons
    • Defense Technology
    • Cybersecurity News
  • Military Photos
  • Defense Forum
  • Military Videos
  • Military Weapon Systems
    • Weapon Systems
    • Reports
No Result
View All Result
DefenceTalk
No Result
View All Result

USAF Tests, Will Soon Fly, Flapless Wing Design

by Air Force News Agency
November 18, 2014
in Air Force News
2 min read
0
USAF Tests, Will Soon Fly, Flapless Wing Design
14
VIEWS

A feature of aircraft design unchanged for nearly a century may have been twisted into a new shape as a result of a revolutionary new structure being tested in the Mojave Desert.

A specially modified Gulfstream III jet successfully took to the skies over NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center Nov. 6 using shape changing wings rather than the standard wing flaps.

The seamless, bendable and twistable surfaces promise to improve aerodynamic efficiency and reduce noise generated during takeoffs and landings.

The Adaptive Compliant Trailing Edge, or ACTE, program is an Air Force Research Laboratory project using flaps designed and built by FlexSys, Inc., of Ann Arbor, Mich. The effort is partnered with NASA’s Environmentally Responsible Aviation project for exploring the feasibility, benefits and technical risks of enabling technologies and vehicle concepts that will reduce aviation’s impact on the environment.

“We’re thrilled this first flight has been a major success and we’re hopeful that further testing will bear out our theories for the potential benefits for this technology,” said Pete Flick, AFRL program manager.

He noted that successful completion of ACTE flight research will cap nearly 20 years of collaboration between AFRL and FlexSys.

With AFRL funding through the Air Force’s Small Business Innovative Research program, FlexSys developed a variable geometry airfoil system called FlexFoil™ that can be retrofitted to existing airplane wings or integrated into brand new airframes. FlexFoil’s inventor, FlexSys founder and CEO Sridhar Kota hopes testing with the modified G-III will confirm the design’s flight-worthiness and open doors to future applications and commercialization.

“Twenty years ago when I approached AFRL with this method, they had the vision to recognize the merit of our design and they have funded us through SBIR Phase 2 and 3 all the way to this flight test. FlexSys replaced the primary trailing edge wing flaps on a Gulfstream III business jet with 18-foot span-wise FlexFoil™ aircraft control surfaces on each wing, including 2-foot wide compliant fairings at each end to eliminate noise-generating gaps in the airframe. With these, it is intended that they’ll be able to alter the wing’s camber, or cross-section, seamlessly on demand to maximize performance throughout the whole flight. The aeronautics community has been trying to accomplish this for almost 40 years,” Kota said.

“This technology can be applied to all kinds of surfaces moving through a fluid medium such as airplane wings, engine inlets, helicopter rotors, and wind turbines, as well as specialized components for automobiles, boats, and submarines,” said Kota, who is also a professor of mechanical engineering at the University of Michigan.

The technology looks to solve a problem that has long faced aircraft designers. Wing flaps that tilt and separate from the wing introduce gaps that produce unwanted drag and a lot of aerodynamic noise, according to Kota. Conventional flaps are also unable to make the fine adjustments necessary at certain phases of flight or when flight conditions are less than optimal.

The FlexFoil structure eliminates these gaps offering potential noise reduction and fuel savings as well as enhanced stability in flight.

“We have progressed from an innovative idea, and matured the concept through multiple designs and wind tunnel tests, to a final demonstration that should prove to the aerospace industry that this technology is ready to dramatically improve aircraft efficiency,” Flick said. “This is a very exciting time for this program.”

Tags: air forceaviationdesignwing
Previous Post

China Wraps Up Air Show with Record Deals

Next Post

Russia gives France until end of November to deliver warship: report

Related Posts

French Air Force Mirage 2000 jet fighter

France could meet Ukraine’s demand for fighter jets

January 27, 2023

France is reportedly considering the possibility of supplying Ukraine with fighter jets, as the country seeks to upgrade its air...

Russia’s Su-57 Fifth-Generation Fighter Makes First Flight with New Engine

Russia, Belarus launch joint air force drills

January 17, 2023

Belarus said Monday that joint air force drills with Russia began on its territory, amid concerns Minsk was being dragged...

Next Post
Russia to pay almost 2 bln dlrs for French warships

Russia gives France until end of November to deliver warship: report

Latest Defense News

China made third-largest air incursion this year, says Taiwan

Senior US general warns of possible looming war with China

January 28, 2023
French Air Force Mirage 2000 jet fighter

France could meet Ukraine’s demand for fighter jets

January 27, 2023
Denmark in talks with Israel to replace howitzers donated to Ukraine

Denmark in talks with Israel to replace howitzers donated to Ukraine

January 27, 2023
Israel, Gaza militants trade missiles after deadly West Bank raid

Israel, Gaza militants trade missiles after deadly West Bank raid

January 27, 2023
Leopard tanks to arrive in Ukraine around late March: Germany

Leopard tanks to arrive in Ukraine around late March: Germany

January 27, 2023
China’s first electromagnetic satellite bears fruitful results

US targets Chinese firm for helping Russian group in Ukraine

January 27, 2023

Defense Forum Discussions

  • The Russian-Ukrainian War Thread
  • Russia and the West
  • Middle East Defence & Security
  • Royal Australian Air Force [RAAF] News, Discussions and Updates
  • Australian Army Discussions and Updates
  • Royal Australian Navy Discussions and Updates 2.0
  • Italy defence procurement, arms counter-trade and weapons exports
  • Italian Air Force Update and Topic
  • M1 Abrams gas turbine engine question.
  • Indonesia: 'green water navy'
DefenceTalk

© 2003-2020 DefenceTalk.com

Navigate Site

  • Defence Forum
  • Military Photos
  • RSS Feeds
  • About us
  • Advertise with us
  • Contact us

Follow Us

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Defense News
    • Defense & Geopolitics News
    • War Conflicts News
    • Army News
    • Air Force News
    • Navy News
    • Missiles Systems News
    • Nuclear Weapons
    • Defense Technology
    • Cybersecurity News
  • Military Photos
  • Defense Forum
  • Military Videos
  • Military Weapon Systems
    • Weapon Systems
    • Reports

© 2003-2020 DefenceTalk.com