High efficiency vertical tail assembly combined with a variable wing geometry

A high efficiency vertical tail assembly for an all-wing craft having a longitudinal axis and comprising a fuselage and two wings, said wings defining a common plane extending laterally away from said fuselage, each wing having a respective wing tip, said vertical tail assembly consisting of two identical vertical tail units, one vertical tail unit being provided for each of said wing tips, each vertical tail unit consisting of its wing tip (2) and of a vertical tail surface (1) rigidly connected to the wing tip so as to include a given angle (.tau.) between the wing tip and the vertical tail surface, whereby in the normal position the wing tip extends in said common plane and the vertical tail surface extends downwardly from said common plane, and pivotal connecting means operatively connecting each vertical tail unit to its wing, said pivotal connecting means having an axis extending substantially in parallel to said longitudinal axis of the craft, whereby each vertical tail unit may be tilted out of said normal position so that the wing tip extends upwardly from said common plane and the vertical tail surface extends in said common plane to form the wing tip.