Northrop Switchblade
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- For another Northrop concept aircraft called Switchblade see Switchblade (airplane).
| Northrop Switchblade | |
|---|---|
| Type | Concept jet fighter |
| Manufacturer | Northrop Corporation |
| Maiden flight | Never flown |
| Primary user | U.S. Air Force |
| Number built | Never built |
| Variants | F/A-37 Talon (fictional) |
The Northrop Switchblade is a concept fighter jet. Patent was deposited in 1999 (U.S. Patent 5984231).
Contents |
[edit] Description and function
The Switchblade, official name "Bird of Prey", is similar to a flying "Swiss Army Knife". It is a bomber, a fighter, and a high-speed aircraft all-in-one. It accomplishes this by using a unique swing-wing design. The wings are attached to the fuselage (body) at a pivot point toward the rear of the aircraft. When the wings are fully extended, the aircraft can fly slowly to drop bombs precisely on their targets or land on short runways. When the wings are swept farther forward, the aircraft takes advantage of the maneuverability that forward-swept wings offer, and becomes an agile fighter. When the wings are swept fully forward, the trailing edge of the wing becomes the leading edge, and the aircraft turns into a delta shape perfect for dashing away at speeds up to Mach 3.
| Geometry | Function |
|---|---|
Wings fully extended | Long wingspan increases lift, enabling slower flight speeds for precision bombing and landing on short runways. |
| <center>Image:NorthropSwitchblade WingsFowardSwept.jpg Wings swept forward | Forward sweep provides a good balance of lift and drag; efficient airflow over the wings and control surfaces enhances the fighter's maneuverability for air-to-air combat. |
| <center>Image:NorthropSwitchblade WingsFullySwept.jpg Wings fully swept | Low aspect ratio provides the least drag, enabling the aircraft to speed up to Mach 3. In this configuration the trailing edge becomes the leading edge, a section of the wing root becomes the new trailing edge. |
[edit] Disadvantages
Though the concept of the Switchblade is extremely good for different combat situations, the mechanism that would be used to operate the wings would be quite heavy and bulky, and would have to be placed very close to the middle of the plane in order to aid balance of center of gravity. Fly-by-wire may compensate for these problems but planes must still not be too unstable because computers do have their limits.
Also, when the wings are at their fully swept angle, the wing shape presented to the oncoming air will not be a proper airfoil [aerofoil] shape, creating an inconsistent one which increases drag with negative effects on speed and control. The shape presented would be an airfoil (from the canard) plus the side cross section of the wing. This would encourage very small wings. Flat plate airfoils are one possible solution, but they are not a perfect solution. Wings with adaptable surfaces are one possible way of resolving problems.
[edit] Images
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[edit] Legacy
Image:ASW Fake FA37 2.jpg Although the aircraft was officially never built, its legacy lives on. The fictional F/A-37 Talon (shown), which starred in the 2005 film Stealth, had the Switchblade's swing-wing design. The Talon was capable of at least Mach 4, and used a pair of scramjets/pulse detonation engines for all flight speeds from subsonic to hypersonic.
The name "Bird of Prey", however, has been reassigned to a different aircraft project by Boeing.
The X-02 featured in the video games Ace Combat 4, Ace Combat 5, and Ace Combat Zero uses a similar switchblade wing configuration.
[edit] See also
- Grumman X-29
- Northrop YF-23 Black Widow II
- General Dynamics F-111
- Northrop Grumman Switchblade, the lastest project to use this name.
The fictitious F/A-37 Talon from Stealth would be capable of at least Mach 5, as it is stated in "Stealth" to be a hypersonic aircraft. "Hypersonic" refers to velocities equal to or exceeding five times the speed of sound.
[edit] External links
[edit] Switchblade
- Switchblade at Area51ZONE.com
- Switchblade at Air-Attack.com
[edit] F/A-37 Talon
- Image of an F/A-37 Talon at Gares Designs & Creations
- Stealth homevideo at SonyPictures.com
