Linked Questions
24 questions linked to/from Why do some military aircraft use variable-sweep wings?
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Why aren't variable swept wings being used in newer military aircraft? [duplicate]
After finding out how well the variable swept wing design served the F-14, why hasn't it been used more often (outside of a select few)? Almost all of the fighters after the cold-war era haven't used ...
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Why don't commercial airliners use variable sweep wings? [duplicate]
I know they're not used in military aircraft because it decreases the stealth factor, but why don't commercial plane manufacturers make variable sweep planes?
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Why manufacturers does not producing variable sweep wing in our current scenario? [duplicate]
I read about many types of aircraft wing configurations like rectangular, swept forward, swept backword, and Delta wing. These configurations have their own advantages and disadvantages. But why we ...
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Why don't commercial aircraft have variable sweep wings? [duplicate]
I was wondering why commercial aircraft don't have variable sweep wings just like the Bell X-5 did? By sweeping the wing further at high altitude it helps the aircraft move faster and also it helps ...
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Why is the maximum speed of current fighter aircraft lower than those from the 1960's and 1970's?
While reading about the characteristics of the newest fighter aircraft, I observed that their maximum speed is lower than of the aircraft in the same roles half a century ago.
For example, the iconic ...
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What happens when an aircraft breaks the sound barrier?
What happens when an aircraft breaks the sound barrier? Why can't it break the sound barrier near the ground?
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Was the Boeing 2707 design flawed?
The mach 2.7 capable Boeing 2707 has an interesting design. I'm curious if there has been any studies done that concluded that this aircraft would simply not have worked, given the way it was ...
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What is the reason for the poor low-speed characteristics of sweptback wings?
I know there are advantages of swept-back wings delaying shock-wave allowing a aircraft to fly faster. However, what are the disadvantages.
I know one of them is that they have very poor low speed ...
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How does wing sweep increase aircraft stability?
I was told at one point that the sweep of a wing can help with the straight line stability of the craft, in fact I think it's one of the main systems that keeps flying wings flying straight (like the ...
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What are the limiting factors for high altitude planes (e.g: U2 or SR71) preventing them from going higher?
I'm curious as to why planes like the U2 Dragon Lady and the SR71 Blackbird couldn't fly higher. What physical constraint set their operational ceiling?
Pilots wore spacesuits, so that wasn't the ...
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What is the optimal wing sweep angle for a passenger airliner?
There are many different types passenger planes, but is there a optimal wing angle for these planes, that improves the plane's take off speed for example, or the fuel efficiency
The Boeing 747 has a ...
user8732
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Can a supersonic plane use a subsonic wing if the nosecone shock produces subsonic airflow around the wing?
A supersonic plane will produce shock waves off the nose cone, as seen below:
These oblique shocks reduce the speed of the air that the wing experiences. If the plane is at a low enough Mach number, ...
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What type of airfoil do low-supersonic aircraft use?
I understand that supersonic airfoils have better performance supersonically, but it seems at if they are not always used for any aircraft that goes supersonic and that supercritical airfoils are ...
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Is wing sweep needed on supersonic aircraft?
Area rule states that bodies with the same crossectional area distribution have the same drag. Does that mean I could use a straight wing on mach 1.2 aircraft with performance as high as sweep winged ...
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What are the benefits of a pivot wing?
The answer to another question mentions the rather unusual pivot wing. From an aerodynamical standpoint, what are the benefits of an oblique wing compared to a delta, a trapezoid or a forward swept ...
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