PPRuNe Forums - View Single Post - Supercritical wing at low speed
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Old 12th Apr 2008, 03:27
  #17 (permalink)  
LeadSled
 
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Australia
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Folks,

F-111 so its Swing ended up being unnecessary. Heavy, high maintenance, expensive.
Quite wrong about "unnecessary". To this day, there is nothing that has the low speed penetrator performance, bomb load and range of an F-111, despite the years in service with the RAAF, in particular.

Have a look at the eastern block equivalent, a few swing wings there. Indeed, a significant issue with the TRS-2 was the fixed planform, compared to the F-111, there was no possibility that TSR-2 would ever have the operational capability of the envelope.

High maintenance --Yes---but there was not (and today still isn't) anything else with the particular capability.

Expensive ---- compared to what?

The F-111 has served a particular operational need in the Australian theatre very well, the F/A-18E/F buy will be a reduction in force capability, and that will not be solved by the F-35 (if it ever turns up).

As to "supercritical", bummer PR name, just call it an aft-loaded section, then you can relax, there is nothing super or critical about it.

Tootle pip!!
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