8Aerodynamic Efficiency of SCV Configurations
The present chapter discusses general characteristics of typical configurations designed for supersonic cruising flight and derives criteria for optimizing design selection variables that have significant effect on the aerodynamic efficiency, in particular the configuration slenderness ratio, the wing loading, and the cruise altitude. In the framework of configuration drag analysis and optimization, the term full airframe configuration generally includes a fuselage, a wing, a fore‐plane, a horizontal tailplane, and a vertical fin, whereas power plant installation drag is treated as a loss of engine efficiency. The following geometrical characteristics defined in Figure 7.8 have an essential effect on the aerodynamic efficiency of an SCV configuration:
- The full configuration total volume
- The configuration slenderness ratio
- The fuselage slenderness ratio
- The wing leading edge sweep‐back angle
- The wing trailing edge sweep‐back angle
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