The present invention relates to a method of designing or optimizing a control surface for use with plasma actuators for controlling an aircraft, missile, munition or automobile, and more particularly to controlling fluid flow across their surfaces or other surfaces using plasma actuators, which would benefit from such a method. The various embodiments provide the steps to increase the efficiency of aircraft, missiles, munitions and automobiles. The method of flow control also provides a means for reducing aircraft, missile's, munition's and automobile's power requirements. These methods also provide alternate means for aerodynamic control using low-power hingeless plasma actuator devices.

Systems, equipment, and methods to deposit energy to modify and control air flow, lift, and drag, in relation to air vehicles, and methods for seeding flow instabilities at the leading edges of control surfaces, primarily through shockwave generation through deposition of laser energy at a distance.

An aircraft includes a combustion engine including a fuel injector, a plurality of plasma actuators disposed in the combustion engine downstream of the fuel injector, a control processing unit communicatively coupled to each plasma actuator of the plurality of plasma actuators, and at least one sensor communicatively coupled to the control processing unit, wherein the control processing unit commands the fuel injector and at least one plasma actuator of the plurality of plasma actuators to generate plasma in response to a signal from the at least one sensor.

An intentional fluid manipulation apparatus (IFMA) assembly that includes an upstream intentional momentum shedding apparatus (IMSA) configured to impart a first induced velocity to a local free stream flow during a nominal operation requirement. The upstream IMSA creates a streamtube. The IFMA includes a downstream IMSA, with some or all of the downstream IMSA being located in a downstream portion of the streamtube. The downstream IMSA imparts a second induced velocity to the local free stream flow within the streamtube. The second induced velocity at the location of the downstream IMSA has a component in a direction opposite to the direction of the first induced velocity at the location of the downstream IMSA.

An aircraft lifting surface comprising an aerodynamic surface with a first electrode embedded at its surface, and a control surface articulated to the aerodynamic surface, the control surface comprises a second electrode embedded at its surface, and that the first electrode and the second electrode are arranged and adapted to create a plasma in air upon application of a predetermined electrical tension, called ionizing tension, between the first electrode and the second electrode.