Morphing aircraft with telescopic lifting and control surfaces
AssigneeThe Boeing Company
InventorsBranko Sarh, David J. File
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A morphing aircraft includes a lifting body and a telescopic lifting or control surface, such as a wing, coupled to the lifting body. The lifting surface is deployable between extended and retracted positions relative to the lifting body and configured such that, when disposed in the extended position, the flight characteristics of the aircraft correspond to those of a low-speed, high-lift aircraft, and when disposed in the retracted position, the flight characteristics of the air-craft correspond to those of a high-speed, low-lift aircraft, the lifting surface is disposed entirely within the lifting body, and an outboard end surface of the lifting surface blends continuously into an outer mold line surface of the lifting body.
Claims12
An aircraft, comprising:
- a lifting body;
- a telescopic wing coupled to the lifting body, the wing being deployable between extended and retracted positions relative to the lifting body and configured such that, when disposed in the extended position, the flight characteristics of the aircraft correspond to those of a low-speed, high-lift aircraft, and when disposed in the retracted position, the flight characteristics of the aircraft correspond to those of a high-speed, low-lift aircraft, the wing is disposed entirely within the lifting body, and an outboard end element of the wing blends continuously into an outer mold line of the lifting body;
- and a mechanism for pivoting the wing about an axis perpendicular to the wing and located at a root end thereof such that a portion of the wing outboard of the axis is sweepable between forward and aft positions.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.