Subscribe via RSS

Archives by Date
June 2009
May 2009
April 2009

See all Archives
Archives by Category
'Canes
Afghan Update
Ammo and Munitions
Armor
Around the Globe
Av Week Extra
Axe in Iraq (and Elsewhere)
Bizarro
Blimps
Blog Bidness
Body Armor Blues
Bomb Squad
Brownshoes in Action
Bubbleheads, etc.
Cammo Green
Catch the "Buzz"
Chem-Bio
Civilian Apps
Cloak and Dagger
Commandos
Comms
Contingency Ops
Cops and Robbers
Cyber-warfare
Data Diving
Defense Tech Poll
Defense Tech Radio
Dissent Tech
Door Kickers
Drones
DT Administrivia
Eat DT's Dust
Extra! Extra!
Eye on China
Fast Movers
FCS Watch
Fire for Effect
FOS Files
Friday Funnies
Gadgets and Gear
Going Green
Grand Ole Osprey
Ground Vehicles
Guns
Homeland Security
In the Weeds with Eric
Info War
Iraq Diary
Jarhead Jazz
JSF Watch
Just War Theories
Lasers and Ray Guns
Less-lethal
Logistics
Los Alamos and Labs
M4 Monopoly
Medic!
Mercs
Missiles
Money Money Money
Most Wanted
MRAP Edge
Net-Centric
Nukes
Old Skool
Our Shrinking Planet
Planes, Copters, Blimps
Podcast
Politricks
Polmar's Perspective
Popular Mechanics
Rapid Fire
Raptor Watch
Red Team
Retro-Futuro
Robots
Roll Your Own
Sabra Tech
Ships and Subs
Snipertech
Soldier Systems
Space
Special Ops
Star Wars
Strategery
Stray Trons
Tactical Development
Terror Tech
The Deadlies
The Defense Biz
The Peoples' Site
The Sunday Paper
The Tanker Tango
The View from Av Week
Those Nutty Norks
Training and Sims
Trimble on the Case
Video Lounge
War Update
Ward'z Wonderz
You can run...

See all Archives
Newsletters

Edited by Christian Lowe | Contact

New "X" Plane's Twisty Wings

The wings on the Air Force's latest experimental "X" plane can't stay on straight. And that's a good thing.

EC02-0264-19.jpgThe X-53 -- formerly known as the "Active Aeroelastic Wing research vehicle," or AAW -- is pretty much your standard /A-18 fighter jet. Except its wings are flexible, twisting as the plane races through the air at transonic speeds -- and giving the plane better maneuverability, in the process.

Every plane's wings bend a little, when air pressure hits 'em. But that "aeroelastic effect" is usually a bad thing for the aircraft, dragging it down. So, "traditionally, air vehicles have been designed with stiff geometry in order to minimize aeroelastic instabilities," the Air Force notes.

The X-53, on the other hand, is built from the start to bend with the wind. Its flaps, ailerons, and actuators are repositioned, so that the air pressure bends the wing in a way that provides lift, instead of drag. A thinner skin allows the outer wing panels to twist up to 5 degrees.

The idea, a NASA fact sheet observes, dates back to the earliest days of flight.

When Orville Wright first took to the air on Dec. 17, 1903, he didn't have ailerons or flaps to control his airplane. Instead, the Wright brothers had chosen to twist or "warp" the wingtips of their craft in order to control its rolling or banking motion. Rather than using one of the craft's two control sticks to make the wingtips twist, they had devised a "saddle" in which the pilot lay. Cables connected the saddle to the tips of both wings. By moving his hips from side-to-side, the pilot warped the wingtips either up or down, providing the necessary control for the Wright Flyer to make turns.

The X-53 -- a cooperative effort between the Air Force Research Lab, NASA, and Boeing's Phantom Works, in the works since the beginning of the decade -- should give engineers "more freedom in designing more efficient, thinner, higher aspect-ratio wings for future high-performance aircraft while reducing the structural weight of the wings by 10 to 20 per cent," NASA says. "This will allow increased fuel efficiency or payload capability, along with potentially reduced radar signature. The technology also has application to a variety of other future aircraft, such as high-altitude, long-endurance unmanned aircraft, transports, and airliners."

(Big ups: AF Daily Report)

Comments

Replica A Lange & Sohne
Replica Accutron
Replica Audemars Piguet
Replica Baume & Mercier
Replica Bell & Ross
Replica Breitling
Replica Bvlgari
Replica Cartier
Replica Chanel
Replica Chopard
Replica Christian Bernard
Replica Christian Dior
Replica Citizen
Replica Coach
Replica Concord
Replica Corum
Replica D&G
Replica DKNY
Replica Ebel
Replica ESQ
Replica Fendi
Replica Fila
Replica Franck Muller
Replica Girard Perregaux
Replica Givenchy
Replica Gucci
Replica Guess
Replica Hamilton
Replica Haurex
Replica Invicta
Replica IWC
Replica Jacob & Co
Replica Jacques Lemans
Replica Jaeger LeCoultre
Replica Levis
Replica Longines
Replica Mont Blanc
Replica Movado
Replica Omega
Replica Orient
Replica Oris
Replica Panerai
Replica Patek Philippe
Replica Piaget
Replica Rado
Replica Rolex
Replica Sector
Replica Seiko
Replica Skagen
Replica Swatch
Replica Swiss
Replica Swiss Army Victorinox
Replica Tag Heuer
Replica Technomarine
Replica Timberland
Replica Tissot
Replica Ulysse Nardin
Replica Vacheron Constantin
Replica Wenger
Replica Wittnauer
Replica Zenith
Replica Zodiac ecommerce
open source
shop
online shopping
Rolex Sports watches
Rolex Datejusts watches
A Lange & Sohne watches
Aigner watches
Alain Silberstein watches
Audemars Piguet watches
Bell & Ross watches
Breguet watches
Breitling watches
Bvlgari watches
Cartier watches
Chanel watches
Chopard watches
Concord watches
Corum watches
Dior watches
Dolce & Gabbana watches
Ebel watches
Emporio Armani watches
Glashutte watches
Gucci watches
Hermes Watches
IWC watches
Jacob & Co watches
Jaeger LeCoultre watches
Longines watches
Louis Vuitton watches
Mont Blanc watches
Movado watches
Omega watches
Oris watches
Panerai watches
Patek Philippe watches
Philip Stein watches
Porsche Design watches
Rado watches Roger
Roger Dubuis watches
Sarcar watches
Tag Heuer watches
Technomarine watches
Vacheron Constantin watches
Zenith watches ecommerce
open source
shop
online shopping
rolex replica-
rolex replica watches-
best replica watches-
watches-
diamond watches-
replica watches-
rolex watches-
watches online-
timex watches-
ladies watch-
luxury watch-
wrist watches-
casio watches-
watches online-
ladies watch-
men's watch-
wrist watches-
replica watches-
fine watches-
casio watches-
watches online-
replica rolex watches-
rolex watch-

Posted by: luxury watch at April 21, 2009 03:19 AM


Haw-haw !It is a very beaufitul writing! The moderator is really a man of intention. I

really appreciate his wisdom and philosophy of life
replica watch

http://www.watchinstyle.com/rolex-datedate-white-diamondsswiss-eta-2836-p-768.html?

zenid=teg6g8jtnlurrhkmbomsugkuj7
http://easyforbuy.com/002-puma-shoes-all-black-p-4029.html
http://lowestmall.com/9826-nike-king-black-sapphire-p-5367.html?

zenid=iu1fq75j2cmr6534iltfb807i5
http://onestoptown.com/

Posted by: replicawatches at October 9, 2008 01:21 AM


One day, I was killed by other people, I told my brother, and I was dead. My brother said he come to help me. I said that people were very terrible, he had a lot of equipment, and I think he must be having much Guild Wars Gold. Mt brother said, no matter, he find friends come to help me. In this way, I recognized him.

Posted by: Guild Wars Gold at August 12, 2008 08:04 PM


It is wind outside the window, and I numbness under the keyboard, watching the computer screen in a daze, reminiscent of the past acid sweet, think of all people cry. In this long Goonzu road, who join me through? The game the same as reality, it also need friends, need a paternity can go with own people. I spent some money to buy goonzu gold, so I can find to find together with in the other half Goonzu down and eventually found nothing, I despair, I gave up, I sad, and I cry.

Posted by: buy goonzu gold at August 12, 2008 08:00 PM


Later, we often played together, we always upgrade and earned cheap Gaia gold together. We are very happy in the Gaia game. I really fell in love with the girl, and I also like the Gaia game.

Posted by: cheap gaia gold at August 12, 2008 07:58 PM


So I know my paradise Nana, and some friends. Bu then, I added AQQI. And a variety of reasons, and the summer of cake, magic rabbit, blue shocks, such as several friends built a new council: Return of the King. And I recognized the beiertuo brotherhood. As the help of this friends and will help in growing, and this time sheikhs left the group B, the new president rose, lead us to defend the B group. We Society of Friends also actively participated in the mine warfare, winning glory for the family. Later, because a number of reasons I left the RF. And I took my all RF money send my friends.

Posted by: rf money at August 12, 2008 07:55 PM


I really cry powerless, you said you put together training, and earned a lot of rohan online crone, you will protect me. I was killed; I was bullied by other people. I think, no matter, after my husband will double back here again. You know you said that the phrase, how sad I am, my tears was disappointing down. That day I said I want to leave, you said nothing. You know how I think you can retain me. But you just said you send text messages to you over time. I really collapse, I left angry.

Posted by: rohan online crone at August 12, 2008 07:53 PM


Leave for three years, I have quite repeatedly returned to the Rappelz game. I continue for good equipment to buy rupees. Three years of time I have played many games, but no a game can let me real input. By now I have found that the original is the lack of a person accompanying me.

Posted by: buy rupees at August 12, 2008 07:51 PM


95 levels, to me this had been a friend of the people around, the new service first hand the hand of a person to manually 95, it is really difficult for my themselves, but I have been have a lot of iro zeny.

Posted by: iro zeny at August 12, 2008 07:47 PM


I am sorry to my friends, sorry to my husband. I was too silly and too not care, I lost the account, lost the all cheap mesos. I can not back to the Maple Story. Husband, I know that a persons Maple Story is very lonely. Forgiven wife, I am vulnerable, I can not afford such an outcome.

Posted by: cheap mesos at August 12, 2008 07:43 PM


No longer, I met a boy, he help me earn goonzu gold and teach me use them to change for goonzu money. We get a good relation each other, we became good friends, at the last days, we build team to kill enemy and buy goonzu gold. I forgot my boy friend. I think he forgot me, too. I hadn’t pull out in it when he came back to find me.

Posted by: goonzu gold at August 5, 2008 11:41 PM


At beginning , you are a poor, but don’t worried, the style of game give you a little habbo credits, it is very cheap, you can use them to buy equipment, you can use this equipment to exercise the rank, when you get to a certain rank valid, you don’t need the equipment, you should buy the better equipment. This time, you need the habbo gold.

Posted by: habbo credits at August 5, 2008 11:39 PM


I want to discuss my attainment shallowly about this game. Earned money, exercising rank and doing best quality equipment, these were very important part of this game. Let me say the gaia gold, I used the buy gaia gold usually, of course the cheap gaia gold is the lowest price in this game, because only you have the more money and best quality equipment, you can exercise rank easy.

Posted by: gaia gold at August 5, 2008 11:35 PM


rolex replica watches - $98 swiss , we don't sale replica watches.The Art of E-commerce

Posted by: replica watches at August 3, 2008 11:21 PM


nice to meet you

Posted by: wowpowerleveling at April 15, 2008 02:33 AM


If It can save Fuel & Time, Yes.

Posted by: stephen russell at December 31, 2007 11:21 PM


That is some crazy stuff. I use baked beans for a propulsion system.

Posted by: Washington State DUI at January 31, 2007 08:28 PM


Just look at B-52 wings in flight, if you want to see some real flex and flap.

Posted by: Mike at January 29, 2007 09:49 AM


Gotta love technology. My main concerns are the freedom of operation of our strategic officers and are our tactical officers getting what they need in Iraq for their men and women?
God bless and Happy New Year.

Billy M.

Posted by: Billy M. at December 30, 2006 12:47 PM


Now, if we can just make it hover, too, we'll have a mechanical version of the hummingbird!

Posted by: N. R. Glenn at December 29, 2006 12:46 PM


if there is a computer bug ; hopefully the pilot will able to take the stick to control the X twisty winged craft. if the stabilizer , air flaps or the wing fails ; maybe the craft could morph in adjustment to save the aircraft. the twisty wings can morph to gain more lift and to be produce drag. the jet fitted with S U 35 type flanking nozzles could add to the advantage. w w w.ww2.aircraft.net is a curious fly boy website.

Posted by: soccorbrain at December 29, 2006 06:18 AM


There is nothing revolutionary about the X-53. It's wings just aren't designed stiff enough and the flight control system takes advantage of that to aid in it's maneuverability.

If anyone thinks this means we are on the verge of planes "morphing" and changing configuration in flight they are kidding themselves.

From what I understand the initial F-18's wings exhibited this characteristic but they went back and stiffened up the wing thereby fixing the "problem."

Posted by: Aeroengineer at December 19, 2006 12:17 AM


This technology has the prospect of truley being revolutionary. I may not look very revolutionary no fancy stats like a new propultion system to look at no fancy X plane. Don't be fooled imagine a plane were the entire body changes from say straight wing to swept or lifting body to areo spike hell to forward swept for close menuevering.


A true one plane that is tailor made for every situation from high slow low slow high fast low fast between. Damm


Posted by: C-Low at December 18, 2006 09:53 PM


Great new technology. I cannot wait to see a new propulsion system.

Posted by: TechSay at December 18, 2006 08:22 PM


Post a comment




Remember Me?


Please enter the code as seen in the image below to post your comment.