Benefits of Tailless Configuration Technologies

Technology Prioritization: Selected Technology Set

• Reduced Drag

• Improved High-AOA Agility/Flying Qualities

• Tailless Configurations Drive Us to Integrated/Adaptive FCS Technologies and Rapid Prototyping of the FCS

  • Reconfiguration capabilities reduce actuator redundancy requirements
  • Reduced number of design cycles
  • Reduced FCS coding and verification time
  • Reconfiguration reduces control-related accidents and mission-critical vulnerability

• Increased Processor Throughput Enables Advanced FCS Technologies

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Benefits of the various tailless technologies include

• Reduced drag (compared to a tailed airplane)

• Reduced weight (compared to a 1995 SOA tailless airplane)

• Improved high-AOA agility and flying qualities

• Reduced actuator redundancy requirements

• Reduced number of Operational Flight Program (OFP) design cycles

• Reduced control-related accidents and mission-critical vulnerability.

The last three improvements are attributable to the integrated/adaptive controls technologies rather than the innovative control effectors. These improvements would be available to any configuration employing this type of flight control system, not just tailless airplanes.

Finally, the enabler for all of these technologies is the new high-throughput processor now available for the flight control computer.