Integrated strut and IGV configuration

An aircraft gas turbine engine comprising a rotor having a rotation axis, an inlet flow passage leading to the rotor, a first circumferential row of airfoils consisting of a plurality of circumferentially evenly spaced struts radially extending between an outer casing and an inner hub and disposed in the inlet flow passage upstream of the rotor, the struts of the first circumferential row includes airfoils that bear structural loads of the gas turbine engine, and a second circumferential row of airfoils consisting of a plurality of circumferentially evenly spaced inlet guide vanes radially extending between the outer casing and the inner hub and disposed in the inlet flow passage upstream of the rotor, the inlet guide vanes being downstream of and axially spaced apart from the struts, each of the inlet guide vanes having an airfoil profile including leading and trailing edges and pressure and suction surfaces, a maximum thickness between the pressure and suction surfaces of the inlet guide vanes being smaller than a circumferential maximum thickness of the struts, a total number of the inlet guide vanes around a full circumference of the inner hub being greater than a total number of the struts around the full circumference of the inner hub, the struts circumferentially aligning with a respective one of the inlet guide vanes, wherein the inlet guide vanes are rotatable about respective radial rotation axes from a design point setting angle to a maximum setting angle, and wherein a chordwise position of the radial rotation axis between the leading edge and the trailing edge of each one of the inlet guide vanes which is circumferentially aligned with an associated one of the struts is selected so that said ones of the inlet guide vanes substantially block respective strut wakes downstream of the struts at both said design point setting angle and said maximum setting angle.