Aerodynamic shaping design and vortical flow design aspects of a 53deg swept flying wing configuration

Abstract

The current article provides a contribution for the aerodynamic and vortical flow design aspects on a 53° swept flying wing UCAV configuration. For the study the DLR RANS solver DLR-TAU and the US Air Force RANS Solver Cobalt have been applied to assess the aerodynamic performance of various design stages and to assess the vortical flow physics. The design studies are part a NATO STO/AVT-251 research group on ”Multi-disciplinary design and performance assessment of effective, agile NATO air vehicles”. The present design studies provide the influence of applied airfoils and leading edge contour shapes on the flow physics and aerodynamic behavior applied to a given flying wing plan form. The investigations are assessing the performance by means of the considered boundary conditions given by the research group as well as the influence of the vortical flow at medium to high angle of attack on the stability and control behavior. Finally, the study is extended to assess to what extent the integration of an engine inlet and outlet is affecting the aerodynamic behavior and flow topology over the flying wing configuration.