A supersonicA supersonic aircraft is an able to fly faster than the ( 1). Aircraft were developed in the second half of the twentieth century and have been used almost entirely for research and military purposes. Only two, (first flight - December 31, 1968) and the (first flight - March 2, 1969), ever entered service.
Are the most common example of supersonic aircraft.The aerodynamics of supersonic flight is called because of the associated with the or ' created by any object travelling faster than sound.Aircraft flying at speeds above Mach 5 are often referred to as. The first aircraft to fly supersonically in level flight was the American experimental plane which was powered by a 6000-lb thrust rocket powered by liquid oxygen and ethyl alcohol. The majority of supersonic aircraft have been military or experimental aircraft.In the 1960s and '70s, many design studies for supersonic airliners were done and eventually two types entered service, the Soviet (1968) and Anglo-French (1969). However political, environmental and economic obstacles and one fatal Concorde crash prevented them from being used to their full commercial potential.Design principles Supersonic flight brings with it substantial technical challenges, as the aerodynamics of supersonic flight are dramatically different from those of subsonic flight (i.e., flight at speeds slower than that of sound). In particular, rises sharply as the aircraft passes the transonic regime, requiring much greater engine power and more streamlined airframes.Wings To keep drag low, wingspan must be limited, which also reduces the aerodynamic efficiency when flying slowly. Since a supersonic aircraft must take off and land at a relatively slow speed, its aerodynamic design must be a compromise between the requirements for both ends of the speed range.One approach to resolving this compromise is the use of a, commonly known as the 'swing-wing,' which spreads wide for low-speed flight and then sweeps sharply, usually backwards, for supersonic flight. However, swinging affects the of the aircraft and the swinging mechanism adds weight and cost.
Use of a, such as those used on the generates a which energises the flow on the upper surface of the wing at high speeds and attack angles, delaying flow separation, and giving the aircraft a very high angle. It also solves the issue of fluid at transonic and supersonic speeds. However, it is, of course, inefficient at lower speeds due to the requirement of a high angle of attack, and therefore need the use of.Heating. Main article:Another problem is the heat generated by friction as the air flows over the aircraft. Most subsonic designs use aluminium alloys such as, which are cheap and easy to work but lose their strength quickly at high temperatures. This limits maximum speed to around Mach 2.2.Most supersonic aircraft, including many military, are designed to spend most of their flight at subsonic speeds, and only to exceed the speed of sound for short periods such as when intercepting an enemy aircraft. A smaller number, such as the reconnaissance aircraft and the Concorde supersonic airliner, have been designed to cruise continuously at speeds above the speed of sound, and with these designs the problems of supersonic flight are more severe.Engines Some early supersonic aircraft, including the first, relied on power to provide the necessary thrust, although rockets burn a lot of fuel and so flight times were short.
Early were more fuel-efficient but did not have enough thrust and some experimental aircraft were fitted with both a turbojet for low-speed flight and a rocket engine for supersonic flight. The invention of the, in which extra fuel is burned in the jet exhaust, made these mixed powerplant types obsolete. The engine passes additional cold air around the engine core, further increasing its fuel efficiency, and supersonic aircraft today are powered by turbofans fitted with afterburners.Supersonic aircraft usually use as they have acceptable efficiency below the speed of sound as well as above; or if is needed engines may be desirable as they give less at supersonic speeds. The engines of the operated in 2 ways, taking off and landing as turbojets with no bypass, but bypassing some of the compressor air to the afterburner at higher speeds.
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This allowed the Blackbird to fly at over Mach 3, faster than any other production aircraft. The heating effect of air friction at these speeds meant that a special fuel had to be developed which did not break down in the heat and clog the fuel pipes on its way to the burner.Another high-speed powerplant is the. This needs to be flying fairly fast before it will work at all.Transonic flight.
Transonic flow patterns on an showing flow patterns at and aboveAirflow can speed up or slow down locally at different points over an aircraft. In the region around Mach 1, some areas may experience supersonic flow while others are subsonic. This regime is called transonic flight. As the aircraft speed changes, pressure waves will form or move around. This can affect the trim, stability and controllability of the aircraft, and the designer needs to ensure that these effects are taken into account at all speeds.Hypersonic flight. NASA data showing N-wave signature.A sonic boom is the sound associated with the created whenever an object traveling through the air travels faster than the.
Sonic booms generate significant amounts of energy, sounding similar to an or a to the human ear. The crack of a supersonic passing overhead or the crack of a are examples of a sonic boom in miniature.Sonic booms due to large supersonic aircraft can be particularly loud and startling, tend to awaken people, and may cause minor damage to some structures. They led to prohibition of routine supersonic flight over land. Although they cannot be completely prevented, research suggests that with careful shaping of the vehicle the nuisance due to them may be reduced to the point that overland supersonic flight may become a practical option.Supercruise.
Main article:Supercruise is sustained flight of a supersonic aircraft with a useful cargo, passenger, or weapons load performed efficiently, which typically precludes the use of highly inefficient or 'reheat'. Many well known supersonic not capable of supercruise can only maintain 1+ flight in short bursts, typically with afterburners. Aircraft such as the are designed to cruise at supersonic speed with afterburners enabled.One of the best known examples of an aircraft capable of supercruise was. Due to its long service as a commercial airliner, Concorde holds the record for the most time spent in supercruise; more than all other aircraft combined.
Supersonic transports. Main article:A supersonic transport (SST) is a at speeds greater than the.
The only supersonic civilian aircraft to see service were the Soviet produced which first flew in 1968 and was retired in 1997; and the Franco-British produced, which first flew in 1969 and remained in service until 2003. Since 2003, there have been no supersonic civilian aircraft in service.A key feature of these designs is the ability to maintain supersonic cruise for long periods, so low drag is essential to limit fuel consumption to a practical and economic level. As a consequence, these airframes are highly streamlined and the wings have a very short span. The requirement for low speeds when taking off and landing is met by using vortex lift: as the aircraft slows, lift must be restored by raising the nose to increase the of the wing. The sharply swept leading edge causes the air to twist as it flows over the wing, speeding up the airflow locally and maintaining lift.Other SST projects have included:.
France –. Russia-United States –. Soviet Union –,. United Kingdom –. United States –,Supersonic business jet. Tupolev Tu-160A must carry a large bomb load over long distances.
Consequently, it is a large aircraft typically with an empty weight exceeding 25,000 kg. Some have also been designed for related roles such as strategic reconnaissance and anti-shipping strike.Typically the aircraft will cruise subsonically for most of its flight to conserve fuel, before accelerating to supersonic speed for its bombing run.
Few supersonic strategic bombers have entered service. The earliest type, the, first flew in 1956 and the most recent, the, in 1983.
(1946), first to break the sound barrier in level flight. Rocket powered. (1948), Rocket powered. (1948), First delta-wing supersonic jet. (1949), mixed power. (1952), Rocket powered.
(1953), only seaplane to exceed speed of sound. (1953), French supersonic twin engine research aircraft. (1954), first to exceed 1,000 miles per hour. (1954), French built delta wing supersonic research aircraft. (1956), experimental French built delta wing supersonic fighter. (1955, 1957), Griffon 1 flew in 1955, Griffon 2 flew in 1957, experimental mixed turbojet-ramjet fighter.
(1957), experimental mixed power jet fighter. (1959), first.