A swing-wing is a wing configuration that allows it to alter its planform for various flight conditions. This allows it to take advantage of the aerodynamics of a swept wing at high speeds while avoiding the drawbacks of such a design at lower speeds. It is successful in this respect, but the added mass and complexity required counter the benefits and stand in the way of widespread adoption. The term variable-geometry is often used synonymously with swing-wing, though strictly speaking swing-wing is a specific type of variable geometry. A Laughing Gull on the beach in Atlantic City. ... A planform or plan view is a vertical orthographic projection of an object on a horizontal plane, like a map. ... The swept wing of an airliner: British Midland Airbus A320-200 A swept-wing is a wing planform used on high-speed aircraft that spend a considerable portion of their flight time in the transonic. ...

F-14 Tomcat with wings unswept

F-14 Tomcat with wings swept

Swing-wing aircraft developed from earlier experimental aircraft that were built to study the effects of a simple swept wing. The first of these was the Messerschmitt Me P.1101 whose sweep angle could be changed on the ground. A number of test flights were carried out at various angles to determine the tradeoffs. An F-14 Tomcat, embarked aboard USS Harry S. Truman, flies a combat mission. ... An F-14 Tomcat, embarked aboard USS Harry S. Truman, flies a combat mission. ... An F-14D Tomcat assigned to the Bounty Hunters of Fighter Squadron Two (VF-2) flies over the USS Constellation on Christmas morning 2002. ... An F-14D Tomcat assigned to the Bounty Hunters of Fighter Squadron Two (VF-2) flies over the USS Constellation on Christmas morning 2002. ... The uncompleted P.1101 prototype. ...

At the end of World War II the P.1101 was taken to the United States for further study at Bell Aircraft, where versions were built that could vary their wing angle in flight. One problem discovered while testing the Bell X-5 was that as the wing pivoted rearward, the center of lift also moved to the rear, pushing the nose down. A system to compensate for this basic effect had to be added for any such design to be viable. Combatants Allies: Soviet Union, United Kingdom, France/Free France, United States, Canada, China, India, Australia, Poland, New Zealand, South Africa, Greece, and others Axis Powers: Germany, Italy, Japan, Bulgaria, Finland, Romania, Hungary, Burma, Slovakia Casualties Military dead: 17 million Civilian dead: 33 million Total dead: 50 million Military dead: 8... The Bell Aircraft Corporation was an aircraft manufacturer of the United States, a builder of several types of fighter aircraft for World War II but most famous for the Bell X-1, the first supersonic aircraft, and for many types of helicopters. ... The Bell X-5 was the first aircraft capable of changing the sweep of its wings in flight. ... The Center of lift (or CoP) is the point on a body where the sum of the total pressure acts. ...

The swing-wing is most useful for those aircraft that fly at a wide range of speeds, and for this reason it has been used primarily in military aircraft. Military aircraft are airplanes used in warfare. ...

A swing-wing was tried on the Grumman F10F Jaguar in 1952, but the F10F proved a failure and aroused no serious interest in variable sweep by the US Navy. The idea was again revived in the early 1960s as a way to reconcile ever-growing aircraft weights (and thus wing loading) with the need to provide reasonable takeoff and landing performance. The United States adopted this configuration for the TFX (Tactical Fighter Experimental) program, which emerged as the General Dynamics F-111, the first production swing-wing aircraft. The Grumman F10F Jaguar was a prototype swing-wing fighter aircraft offered to the US Navy in the early 1950s. ... This is a list of aviation-related events from 1952: // Events January January 5 - Pan Am commences trans-atlantic freight services. ... The United States Navy (USN) is the branch of the United States armed forces responsible for naval operations. ... The outrageously crowded Woodstock festival epitomized the popular antiwar movement of the 60s. ... In aerodynamics, wing loading is the loaded weight of the aircraft divided by the area of the wing. ... A U.S. Air Force F-111 The General Dynamics F-111 was a long-range strategic bomber, reconnaissance, and tactical strike aircraft. ...

Immediately post war Barnes Wallis had started work on the variable geometry to maximise the economy of supersonic flight. Initial work was on the military "Wild Goose" project, then he went onto the "Swallow", intended to achieve a return flight Europe to Australia in 10 hours. He successfully tested a model above Mach 2 in the 1950's but government backing was withdrawn. Wallis and his team presented their work to the Americans seeking a grant to continue their studies but none was forthcoming. Sir Barnes Neville Wallis Sir Barnes Neville Wallis, CBE, FRS, RDI, commonly known as Barnes Wallis, (September 26, 1887 – October 30, 1979) was a British scientist, engineer and inventor. ...

Similar requirements in the Soviet Union also led TsAGI, the Soviet aerodynamics bureau, to explore the possibilities of variable geometry. TsAGI evolved two distinct planforms, differing mainly in the distance (expressed as a percentage of total wingspan) between the wing pivots. A wider spacing not only reduced the negative aerodynamic effects of changing wing sweep, but also provided a larger fixed wing section which could be used for landing gear or stores pylons. This could, in fact, be adapted to more-or-less existing airframes, which the Soviets soon did, with the Sukhoi Su-17 (based on the earlier swept wing Sukhoi Su-7) and the Tupolev Tu-22M (based on the Tupolev Tu-22). The limitation of the wide spacing, however, was that it reduced the benefits of variable geometry as much as it reduced their technical difficulties. For the new, "clean-sheet" Soviet designs, TsAGI devised a more narrowly spaced arrangement similar to that of the F-111. This design was used (albeit at different scales) for the MiG-23 fighter and the Sukhoi Su-24 interdictor, which flew in prototype form at the end of the 1960s, entering service in the early 1970s. TsAGI is a transliteration of the Russian abbreviation for Центра́льный аэрогидродинами́ческий институ́т (ЦАГИ) or Tsentralniy Aerogidrodinamicheskiy Institut, the Central Aerohydrodynamic Institute. ... A planform or plan view is a vertical orthographic projection of an object on a horizontal plane, like a map. ... The distance AB is the wing span of this Aer Lingus Airbus A320. ... Main and nosewheel undercarriage of a Qatar Airways Airbus A330 The undercarriage or landing gear is equipment which supports an aircraft when it is not flying. ... For pylons of overhead lines, see Electricity pylon Pylon Noun from Greek πυλώνας gateway tower like structure, usually one of a series, used to support high voltage electricity cables. ... Polish decomissioned Su-20 Front view of Su-20 Polish Su-22 Two aircraft share the designation Su-17 The Sukhoi Su-17 (NATO reporting name Fitter) was a Soviet attack aircraft developed from the Su-7 fighter-bomber. ... The swept wing of an airliner: British Midland Airbus A320-200 A swept-wing is a wing planform used on high-speed aircraft that spend a considerable portion of their flight time in the transonic. ... Su-7BKL The Sukhoi Su-7 (NATO designation Fitter) was a swept wing, turbojet-powered fighter-bomber used by the Soviet Union and its allies. ... The Tupolev Tu-22M (NATO reporting name Backfire) is a supersonic, swing-wing, long-range strategic bomber developed by the Soviet Union. ... The Tupolev Tu-22 (NATO reporting name Blinder) is a Soviet jet supersonic bomber and reconnaissance aircraft. ... Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23 (Flogger). ... Sukhoi-24 The Sukhoi Su-24 (NATO reporting name Fencer) was the Soviet Unions most advanced all-weather interdiction and attack aircraft in the 1970s and 1980s. ... The outrageously crowded Woodstock festival epitomized the popular antiwar movement of the 60s. ... The 1970s decade refers to the years from 1970 to 1979, inclusive. ...

A European consortium, meanwhile, adopted variable geometry for the Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MRCA) project that emerged as the Panavia Tornado. This was an interdictor and stand-off interceptor similar in function to the F-111, albeit on a smaller scale. Meanwhile, the U.S. Navy arranged to replace the disastrous, abortive F-111B fleet interceptor with the Grumman F-14 Tomcat. Swing-wings were seen as a way to reconcile the low landing speeds necessary for carrier fighters with the fighter's role as a high-speed interceptor. As a side effect, though maneuverability was not a design aim, the F-14 was remarkably agile, despite its underpowered engines. It was far more maneuverable than the F-111, the Tornado, or any of the Soviet swing-wing aircraft due to lower effective wing loading (thanks to a 'pancake' fuselage that provided additional lift) and an automatic wing sweep. Rockwell, meanwhile, adopted variable geometry for the Advanced Manned Strategic Bomber (AMSA) program that produced the B-1 Lancer bomber, intended to provide an optimum combination of high-speed cruising efficiency and fast, supersonic penetration speeds at extremely low level. The last swing-wing military aircraft to date was the Soviet Tupolev Tu-160 'Blackjack,' which first flew in 1980. The Panavia Tornado is a jet engine fighter-bomber and interceptor jointly developed as the Multi-role combat aircraft - or MRCA - by the United Kingdom, Germany and Italy. ... Luftwaffe Tornado IDS at Radom Air Show 2005 The Panavia Tornado is a family of twin-engine fighters, which was jointly developed by the United Kingdom, Germany and Italy. ... The United States Navy (USN) is the branch of the United States armed forces responsible for naval operations. ... Sailors prepare an F-14 Tomcat for flight on the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom (2003). ... In aerodynamics, wing loading is the loaded weight of the aircraft divided by the area of the wing. ... Rockwell can refer to: Rockwell International - a defense company in the United States Rockwell Automation - an industrial automation company that descended from Rockwell International Rockwell Collins - a communications and aviation electronics company that also descended from Rockwell International Willard Rockwell - businessman who helped shape and name what became Rockwell International... The Boeing IDS (formerly Rockwell) B-1B Lancer is a long-range strategic bomber in service with the United States Air Force (USAF). ... Soviet redirects here. ... Tupolev Tu-160 3-view The Tupolev Tu-160 (NATO reporting name Blackjack) is a supersonic, swing-wing heavy bomber designed in the Soviet Union. ... This is a list of aviation-related events from 1980: Events January January 8 - a Mooney 231 lands in San Francisco, after flying coast to coast non-stop, setting a record by completing the flight in 8 hours and 4 minutes. ...

A swing-wing was also used by Boeing's entry in the FAA's study for a supersonic transport, the 2707. However during the design stage it became clear that the mechanism was so large that it would leave almost no room in the cabin for seats. The design was later abandoned in favor of a more "classic" delta wing. The Boeing Company (NYSE: BA, TYO: 7661 ) is the world’s largest aircraft manufacturer. ... The Federal Aviation Administration is the entity of the United States government which regulates and oversees all aspects of civil aviation in the U.S. // Activities Along with the European Joint Aviation Authorities, the FAA is one of the two main agencies worldwide responsible for the certification of new aircraft. ... A supersonic transport (SST) is a civil aircraft designed to transport passengers at speeds greater than the speed of sound. ... The Boeing 2707 was intended to be the first American supersonic airliner. ... The delta-wing is a wing planform in the form of a triangle. ...

While variable geometry provides many advantages, particularly in takeoff distance, load-carrying ability, and the fast, low-level penetration role, swing wings impose a considerable penalty in weight and complexity. The advent of relaxed stability flight control systems in the 1970s negated many of the disadvantages of a fixed planform, and no new swing-wing aircraft have been built since the Tu-160. In aeronautical engineering, relaxed stability refers to airplanes with no inherent natural stability, at least at low speeds. ... Tupolev Tu-160 3-view The Tupolev Tu-160 (NATO reporting name Blackjack) is a supersonic, swing-wing heavy bomber designed in the Soviet Union. ...

Swing-wing aircraft

Main article: List of swing-wing aircraft