Importance

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Abstract

An air vehicle defining a plane of symmetry includes a pair of outboard panels which are rotatably mounted on the lifting body of the vehicle and respectively extend in opposite directions from the plane of symmetry. A control system collectively rotates the outboard panels to selectively contribute forces from the panels to the lift on the air vehicle. The control system also differentially rotates the outboard panels to control roll of the air vehicle. A pair of empennage panels are also rotatably mounted on the lifting body to establish a dihedral angle centered on the plane of symmetry. The control system collectively rotates these empennage panels to control pitch, and differentially rotates the empennage panels to control yaw, of the air vehicle. In a high speed flight regime the lifting body alone is sufficient and the outboard panels are collectively rotated to reduce drag and contribute substantially zero lift. In a slow speed flight regime, the outboard panels are collectively rotated to contribute to the lift on the air vehicle.

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First Claim