Aircraft design studies - counter insurgency aircraft with suction boundary layer control

摘要

A design study of a counter insurgency aircraft with a suction boundary layercontrolled wing to give high lift has been undertaken. The work was carried out bythe students in the Department of Aircraft Design during the 1966 academic year andwas intended to provide evidence on the feasibility of the configuration employed.The aircraft has a gross weight of 9800 lb. and is designed to carry a variety ofpayloads of up to 2000 lb. at a maximum speed of 380 m. p. h. The flight usablelift coefficient of five is achieved at an incidence of approximately 30owhich introduced particular layout and undercarriage problems. A twin boom configuration witha variable geometry undercarriage was adopted.It is concluded that the use of a suction boundary layer control system can confersignificant performance benefits but the aircraft might well be handicapped by climaticoperational limitations. The variable geometry undercarriage is complex and analternative layout using a tilt wing might be preferable.