The aft fuselage of the C-130 is upswept to accommodate the aft cargo ramp. The upswept aft fuselage accounts for as much as 11% of the total vehicle drag at cruise. While concepts to reduce this contribution to the C-130 drag were developed in the past, they interfered with air drop operations and were never integrated into the fleet. Using flow control technology, a relatively simple, structurally benign, microvane concept with minimal air drop impact has been developed. In a collaborative Lockheed Martin, Air Force Research Laboratory program, the microvane concept was matured. Using CFD, the microvane configuration was optimized. Integration and air drop constraints were evaluated and an air drop compliant, retrofittable microvane configuration was identified. Flight testing verified the accuracy of the CFD based drag reduction predictions and confirmed the viability of the design. The flight test configuration saves between 14 and 30 gallons of fuel per hour, resulting in a potential fleet wide savings to the USAF of 2.4 million gallons of fuel per year. With no impact on operational capability and a proven flight test technology readiness level (TRL), this low-risk solution offers benefits of low-cost and rapid deployment to the fleet.
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