National Interest/War Is Boring: Forget the B-2 Bomber or F-35: Next Generation Stealth Might Be a Game-Changer
It’s long been a goal of aerospace developers to eliminate moving control surfaces from airplanes. And it could change everything.
In 1975 John Kelly, a Boeing researcher, identified moving control surfaces as a major impediment to developing stealthy warplanes. “Elimination of control surfaces is a consideration that should be examined for low-RCS designs,” Kelly wrote in a company study.
The 12-foot-span, jet-propelled MAGMA drone could help BAE develop stealthier warplanes. Control surfaces account for a significant portion of an airplane’s radar signature.
Instead of rudders, ailerons and other conventional control surfaces, MAGMA relies on two new technologies for maneuverability. Wing circulation control “takes air from the aircraft engine and blows it supersonically through the trailing edge of the wing to provide control for the aircraft,” according to BAE Systems.
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WNU Editor: Faster please.
