Experimental and theoretical study of the longitudinal aerodynamic characteristics of delta and double-delta wings at Mach numbers of 1.60, 1.90, and 2.16

An experimental and theoretical study was conducted to investigate the supersonic aerodynamic characteristics of delta and double-delta wings. Testing was conducted in the Langley Unitary Plan Wind Tunnel at Mach numbers of 1.60, 1.90, and 2.16. The double-delta wings exhibited lower zero-lift drag values than the delta wings having the same aspect ratio, whereas delta wings provided the lower drag due to lift. Deflections of the trailing-edge flaps for pitch control revealed that the induced aerodynamic forces were only a function of the flap planform and were independent of wing planform. The supporting theoretical analysis showed that the supersonic design and analysis system (SDAS) did not consistently predict all the longitudinal aerodynamic characteristics of the low-sweep, low-fineness-ratio wing-body configurations under investigation.