A multi-segment oblique flying wing aircraft which has three distinct segments including two outer wing segments and a central wing segment. The central segment may be thicker in the vertical direction and adapted to hold pilots and passengers. The outer wing segments may be substantially thinner and may taper as they progress outboard from the wing center. The multi-segment oblique flying wing aircraft be adapted for rotating into a high speed flight configuration, or may be adapted for take-off and cruise at a constant angle. In an extreme flight case, the central wing segment may rotate to a local sweep of ninety degrees.

A wind turbine includes a blade having a leading edge, a trailing edge, and opposing first and second surfaces extending between the edges. A vortex generator pair includes a base attached to the first surface and first and second spaced apart fins extending outwardly from opposing portions of the base. The fins each have a leading edge, a trailing edge, a suction side and a pressure side. Each of the suction sides have a trailing half and a leading half.

A drag reduction system an aircraft having an aircraft component is disclosed including a skin panel having an inner surface and an outer surface for contact with an ambient flow, the outer surface includes an upstream area for laminar flow and a downstream area for turbulent flow and/or transitional flow, the skin panel includes a plurality of micro pores for blowing air from inside the aircraft component into the ambient flow.

A blended wing body aircraft having an interior cabin with a usable volume of at most 4500 ft.sup.3 and a cabin aspect ratio of at most 4, wherein a combination of the wings and center body has a wetted aspect ratio of at least 1.7 and at most 2.8. Also, a blended wing body aircraft having an interior cabin with a usable volume of at least 1500 ft.sup.3 and at most 4500 ft.sup.3 and a cabin aspect ratio of at least 2 and at most 4, wherein a combination of the wings and center body has a wetted aspect ratio of at least 1.9 and at most 2.7. Also, a blended wing body aircraft wherein at least each profile section having normalized half-span values from 0 to 0.3 has a leading edge having a normalized height having a nominal value within the range set forth in Table 4.

The present invention relates to a glide bomb and methods of use thereof for use with an unmanned or manned aerial vehicle or for operative deployment. In one form, the glide bomb is configured to be carried and released by an unmanned aerial vehicle (“UAV”) for flight towards a selected target. The glide bomb includes an elongate body having a nose and an opposed tail aligned along a longitudinal axis; a payload; a pair of wings extendable from opposed sides of the body for producing lift, said wings configured to be selectively moveable between a retracted position and an extended position; and two or more tail control surfaces operatively associated with the tail of the body for at least pitch and yaw control.

An aircraft wing having a fixed wing and a wing tip device at the tip of the fixed wing is disclosed. The wing tip device being movable relative to the fixed wing between flight and ground configurations, the aircraft wing having a locking mechanism including a locking bore and a locking pin, the locking mechanism being configurable between a locked configuration, in which the locking pin is received in the locking bore, to lock the wing tip device in one of the flight or ground configurations, and an unlocked configuration in which the locking pin is withdrawn from the locking bore such that the wing tip device is moveable relative to the fixed wing, and wherein the locking pin is configured such that it has a replaceable tip.

Aircraft nacelles having adjustable chines are described. An example apparatus includes a chine coupled to a nacelle. The chine is oriented along a fore-aft direction. The chine is translatable relative to the nacelle along the fore-aft direction.

A wing, a method of controlling lift on a wing, and a system to produce lift on a wing are provided. The wing may include a fore-element, an aft-element, a pivotable linkage that operatively connects the aft-element leading edge to the fore-element trailing edge in a span-wise direction, and an actuator. The actuator may deflect the aft-element through a predetermined deflection angle about the pivotable linkage relative to the fore-element within less than or equal to two convective periods. The method may include deflecting a span-wise flap through the deflection angle in less than or equal to two convective periods to produce high lift. The system may include a sensor to detect an input and a controller to deflect the span-wise flap of the wing by the deflection angle in not more than two convective periods based on the received input signal.

In one embodiment, a method for reducing drag includes forming a smooth surface on a first portion of a physical object. The method also includes forming periodic riblets on a second portion of the physical object. The method further includes generating a flow over the periodic riblets of the second portion of the physical object and over the smooth surface of the first portion of the physical object. The second portion of the physical object is adjacent to the first portion of the physical object. Each peak of each riblet of the periodic riblets of the second portion of the physical object is located above a plane of the smooth surface of the first portion of the physical object. Each valley between adjacent riblets of the periodic riblets of the second portion of the physical object is located below the plane of the smooth surface of the first portion of the physical object. A length of each riblet of the periodic riblets runs parallel to a direction of the flow.

An aircraft includes a fuselage extending between a forward end and an aft end; a propulsor mounted to the fuselage at the aft end of the fuselage, the propulsor comprising an outer nacelle, the outer nacelle defining an inlet to the propulsor; and a deployable assembly attached to at least one of the fuselage or the outer nacelle and moveable between a stowed position and an engaged position. The deployable assembly alters an airflow towards the propulsor or into the propulsor through the inlet defined by the outer nacelle when in the engaged position. The propulsor further comprises a tail cone, wherein the outer nacelle defines an exhaust with the tail cone, and wherein the plurality of nacelle panels are movable generally along the axial centerline to a position at least partially aft of the exhaust of the outer nacelle when in the engaged position.