Northrop Switchblade
Encyclopedia
The Northrop
"Switchblade" is a concept fighter jet which is a potential development of a utility patent filed by Grumman in November 1999.
was developing a variable-sweep wing aircraft to replace the aging fleet of F-111
s which were retired by the USAF in 1998. The F-111 was a medium sized bomber also capable of defending itself as a fighter and then speeding away at over 1600 MPH. In the mid-90s reports began to surface concerning a new swing-wing aircraft sighted near Cannon Air Force Base
, NM and at Langley Air Force Base in Virginia. In September 1994, that aircraft was observed circling high over Amarillo, TX for several minutes at midday. The plane was not a standard variable swing-wing aircraft as first reported, rather employing a unique forward-swept
swing wing mechanism that enables the jet to become an advanced attack aircraft capable of precision weapons delivery, super maneuverability (for air combat) and Mach
3 "dash" capability. It is a bomber, fighter and high-speed aircraft all-in-one.
For a time it was concluded that this top-secret project by Northrop
was officially named Bird of Prey on account of the squadron patch worn by pilots involved in the covert BoP project, though it is now known that the Bird of Prey was in fact another Black project
stealth aircraft altogether, by Boeing
. It is possible that this ATF/B -type "Switchblade" craft is a stealth concept plane from back in the Multi-Role Fighter [MRF] competition days, given its aptitude. Multi-mission aircraft of the past have invariably had to make design sacrifices in one area or another, never really coming close to becoming true flying Swiss Army knives
. The Northrop design seems to meets all the design criteria for an advanced multi-regime tactical bomber/fighter aircraft. Northrop Grumman
have considerable expertise in designing advanced aircraft. Northrop was the chief contractor on the stealth B-2 Spirit
, the YF-23 Black Widow II
and the Tacit Blue
. Grumman has experience designing forward swept wing
and variable-swept wing aircraft, the X-29 and F-14 Tomcat
, respectively.
The wings are attached to the fuselage
(body) at a pivot point toward the rear of the aircraft. With the wings fully swept aft the aircraft can slow to drop precision weapons or land on short unimproved runways. Swept forward twenty degrees and the aircraft takes advantage of the maneuverability that forward-swept wings offer becoming a highly agile air combat platform. Sweep the wings fully forward and they become flush with the aircraft with the trailing edge
becoming the leading edge
, forming a highly swept 75-degree stealthy delta
ideal for high-speed Mach 3 exits. Or as it is understated in the U.S. Patent 5,984231 abstract, "the aforementioned apparatus may be used in a method to configure the aircraft for flight in a desired flight regime".
situations, the mechanism that would be used to operate the wings would be quite heavy and bulky, and would have to be placed very close to the middle of the plane in order to aid balance of center of gravity
. Fly-by-wire
may compensate for these problems but the aircraft must still keep from being too unstable because computers are unable to compensate for too radical a problem.
Additionally, when the wings are at their fully swept angle, the wing shape
presented to the oncoming air will not be a proper airfoil
[aerofoil] shape, creating an inconsistent one which increases drag
with negative effects on speed
and control
. The shape presented would be an airfoil
(from the canard
) plus the side cross section
of the wing
. This would encourage very small wings. Flat plate airfoils are one possible solution, but they are not a perfect solution, given their easier stall, higher drag and smaller lift. Wings with adaptable surfaces are one possible way of resolving problems.
, had the "Switchblade's" swing-wing
design. The Talon was capable of at least Mach
4, and used a pair of scramjet
s/pulse detonation engine
s for all flight speeds from subsonic to hypersonic.
Also in the 2002 film I-Spy (film), there is a plane which looks incredibly similar to the Northrop Switchblade and is called "Switchblade" or "the Switchblade" (though Eddie Murphy
's character calls it "The Leafy Bug"), it has the technology to turn invisible.
The designers of Ace Combat
incorporated the design into the similar X-02 Wyvern, an experimental fighter which has featured in Ace Combat 04: Shattered Skies
, Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War
, Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War
and Ace Combat X: Skies of Deception
.
Northrop Corporation
Northrop Corporation was a leading United States aircraft manufacturer from its formation in 1939 until its merger with Grumman to form Northrop Grumman in 1994. The company is known for its development of the flying wing design, although only a few of these have entered service.-History:Jack...
"Switchblade" is a concept fighter jet which is a potential development of a utility patent filed by Grumman in November 1999.
Design and development
As far back as 1989 the buzz inside aviation circles was that The PentagonThe Pentagon
The Pentagon is the headquarters of the United States Department of Defense, located in Arlington County, Virginia. As a symbol of the U.S. military, "the Pentagon" is often used metonymically to refer to the Department of Defense rather than the building itself.Designed by the American architect...
was developing a variable-sweep wing aircraft to replace the aging fleet of F-111
General Dynamics F-111
The General Dynamics F-111 "Aardvark" was a medium-range interdictor and tactical strike aircraft that also filled the roles of strategic bomber, reconnaissance, and electronic warfare in its various versions. Developed in the 1960s by General Dynamics, it first entered service in 1967 with the...
s which were retired by the USAF in 1998. The F-111 was a medium sized bomber also capable of defending itself as a fighter and then speeding away at over 1600 MPH. In the mid-90s reports began to surface concerning a new swing-wing aircraft sighted near Cannon Air Force Base
Cannon Air Force Base
Cannon Air Force Base is a United States Air Force Base, located approximately southwest of Clovis, New Mexico. It is under the jurisdiction of Air Force Special Operations Command ....
, NM and at Langley Air Force Base in Virginia. In September 1994, that aircraft was observed circling high over Amarillo, TX for several minutes at midday. The plane was not a standard variable swing-wing aircraft as first reported, rather employing a unique forward-swept
Forward-swept wing
A forward-swept wing is an aircraft wing configuration in which the quarter-chord line of the wing has a forward sweep. The configuration was first proposed in 1936 by German aircraft designers.Perceived benefits of a forward-swept wing design include...
swing wing mechanism that enables the jet to become an advanced attack aircraft capable of precision weapons delivery, super maneuverability (for air combat) and Mach
Mach number
Mach number is the speed of an object moving through air, or any other fluid substance, divided by the speed of sound as it is in that substance for its particular physical conditions, including those of temperature and pressure...
3 "dash" capability. It is a bomber, fighter and high-speed aircraft all-in-one.
For a time it was concluded that this top-secret project by Northrop
Northrop Corporation
Northrop Corporation was a leading United States aircraft manufacturer from its formation in 1939 until its merger with Grumman to form Northrop Grumman in 1994. The company is known for its development of the flying wing design, although only a few of these have entered service.-History:Jack...
was officially named Bird of Prey on account of the squadron patch worn by pilots involved in the covert BoP project, though it is now known that the Bird of Prey was in fact another Black project
Black project
In the United States and United Kingdom, a black project is in the vernacular a classified military/defense project, unacknowledged publicly by the government, military personnel, and defense contractors. Examples of U.S...
stealth aircraft altogether, by Boeing
Boeing
The Boeing Company is an American multinational aerospace and defense corporation, founded in 1916 by William E. Boeing in Seattle, Washington. Boeing has expanded over the years, merging with McDonnell Douglas in 1997. Boeing Corporate headquarters has been in Chicago, Illinois since 2001...
. It is possible that this ATF/B -type "Switchblade" craft is a stealth concept plane from back in the Multi-Role Fighter [MRF] competition days, given its aptitude. Multi-mission aircraft of the past have invariably had to make design sacrifices in one area or another, never really coming close to becoming true flying Swiss Army knives
Swiss Army knife
The Swiss Army knife is a brand of pocket knife or multi-tool manufactured by Victorinox AG and Wenger SA. The term "Swiss Army knife" was coined by US soldiers after World War II due to the difficulty they had in pronouncing the German name....
. The Northrop design seems to meets all the design criteria for an advanced multi-regime tactical bomber/fighter aircraft. Northrop Grumman
Northrop Grumman
Northrop Grumman Corporation is an American global aerospace and defense technology company formed by the 1994 purchase of Grumman by Northrop. The company was the fourth-largest defense contractor in the world as of 2010, and the largest builder of naval vessels. Northrop Grumman employs over...
have considerable expertise in designing advanced aircraft. Northrop was the chief contractor on the stealth B-2 Spirit
B-2 Spirit
The Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit is an American heavy bomber with low observable stealth technology designed to penetrate dense anti-aircraft defenses and deploy both conventional and nuclear weapons. The bomber has a crew of two and can drop up to eighty -class JDAM GPS-guided bombs, or sixteen ...
, the YF-23 Black Widow II
YF-23 Black Widow II
The Northrop YF-23 or Northrop–McDonnell Douglas YF-23 was an American single-seat, twin-engine fighter aircraft designed for the United States Air Force . The design was a finalist in the USAF's Advanced Tactical Fighter competition, battling the Lockheed YF-22 for a production contract...
and the Tacit Blue
Northrop Tacit Blue
|-See also:...
. Grumman has experience designing forward swept wing
Swept wing
A swept wing is a wing planform favored for high subsonic jet speeds first investigated by Germany during the Second World War. Since the introduction of the MiG-15 and North American F-86 which demonstrated a decisive superiority over the slower first generation of straight-wing jet fighters...
and variable-swept wing aircraft, the X-29 and F-14 Tomcat
F-14 Tomcat
The Grumman F-14 Tomcat is a supersonic, twin-engine, two-seat, variable-sweep wing fighter aircraft. The Tomcat was developed for the United States Navy's Naval Fighter Experimental program following the collapse of the F-111B project...
, respectively.
The wings are attached to the fuselage
Fuselage
The fuselage is an aircraft's main body section that holds crew and passengers or cargo. In single-engine aircraft it will usually contain an engine, although in some amphibious aircraft the single engine is mounted on a pylon attached to the fuselage which in turn is used as a floating hull...
(body) at a pivot point toward the rear of the aircraft. With the wings fully swept aft the aircraft can slow to drop precision weapons or land on short unimproved runways. Swept forward twenty degrees and the aircraft takes advantage of the maneuverability that forward-swept wings offer becoming a highly agile air combat platform. Sweep the wings fully forward and they become flush with the aircraft with the trailing edge
Trailing edge
The trailing edge of an aerodynamic surface such as a wing is its rear edge, where the airflow separated by the leading edge rejoins. Essential control surfaces are attached here to redirect the air flow and exert a controlling force by changing its momentum...
becoming the leading edge
Leading edge
The leading edge is the part of the wing that first contacts the air; alternatively it is the foremost edge of an airfoil section. The first is an aerodynamic definition, the second a structural one....
, forming a highly swept 75-degree stealthy delta
Delta (letter)
Delta is the fourth letter of the Greek alphabet. In the system of Greek numerals it has a value of 4. It was derived from the Phoenician letter Dalet...
ideal for high-speed Mach 3 exits. Or as it is understated in the U.S. Patent 5,984231 abstract, "the aforementioned apparatus may be used in a method to configure the aircraft for flight in a desired flight regime".
| Geometry | Function |
|---|---|
Wings fully extended |
Long wingspan Wingspan The wingspan of an airplane or a bird, is the distance from one wingtip to the other wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777 has a wingspan of about ; and a Wandering Albatross caught in 1965 had a wingspan of , the official record for a living bird.The term wingspan, more technically extent, is... increases lift, enabling slower flight speeds for precision bombing and landing on short runways. |
Wings swept forward |
Forward sweep provides a good balance of lift and drag; efficient Efficient Efficient may refer to:* Efficiency, the extent to which time or effort is well used for the intended task or purpose* Efficient , a Thoroughbred racehorse... airflow over the wings and control surfaces enhances the fighter's maneuverability for air-to-air combat Dogfight A dogfight, or dog fight, is a form of aerial combat between fighter aircraft; in particular, combat of maneuver at short range, where each side is aware of the other's presence. Dogfighting first appeared during World War I, shortly after the invention of the airplane... . |
Wings fully swept |
Low aspect ratio Aspect ratio The aspect ratio of a shape is the ratio of its longer dimension to its shorter dimension. It may be applied to two characteristic dimensions of a three-dimensional shape, such as the ratio of the longest and shortest axis, or for symmetrical objects that are described by just two measurements,... provides the least drag, enabling the aircraft to speed up to Mach 3. In this configuration the trailing edge becomes the leading edge, a section of the wing root Wing root The wing root is the part of the wing on a fixed-wing aircraft that is closest to the fuselage. On a simple monoplane configuration, this is usually easy to identify... becomes the new trailing edge. |
Disadvantages
Though the concept of the "Switchblade" is extremely good for different combatCombat
Combat, or fighting, is a purposeful violent conflict meant to establish dominance over the opposition, or to terminate the opposition forever, or drive the opposition away from a location where it is not wanted or needed....
situations, the mechanism that would be used to operate the wings would be quite heavy and bulky, and would have to be placed very close to the middle of the plane in order to aid balance of center of gravity
Center of gravity
In physics, a center of gravity of a material body is a point that may be used for a summary description of gravitational interactions. In a uniform gravitational field, the center of mass serves as the center of gravity...
. Fly-by-wire
Fly-by-wire
Fly-by-wire is a system that replaces the conventional manual flight controls of an aircraft with an electronic interface. The movements of flight controls are converted to electronic signals transmitted by wires , and flight control computers determine how to move the actuators at each control...
may compensate for these problems but the aircraft must still keep from being too unstable because computers are unable to compensate for too radical a problem.
Additionally, when the wings are at their fully swept angle, the wing shape
Shape
The shape of an object located in some space is a geometrical description of the part of that space occupied by the object, as determined by its external boundary – abstracting from location and orientation in space, size, and other properties such as colour, content, and material...
presented to the oncoming air will not be a proper airfoil
Airfoil
An airfoil or aerofoil is the shape of a wing or blade or sail as seen in cross-section....
[aerofoil] shape, creating an inconsistent one which increases drag
Drag (physics)
In fluid dynamics, drag refers to forces which act on a solid object in the direction of the relative fluid flow velocity...
with negative effects on speed
Speed
In kinematics, the speed of an object is the magnitude of its velocity ; it is thus a scalar quantity. The average speed of an object in an interval of time is the distance traveled by the object divided by the duration of the interval; the instantaneous speed is the limit of the average speed as...
and control
Control theory
Control theory is an interdisciplinary branch of engineering and mathematics that deals with the behavior of dynamical systems. The desired output of a system is called the reference...
. The shape presented would be an airfoil
Airfoil
An airfoil or aerofoil is the shape of a wing or blade or sail as seen in cross-section....
(from the canard
Canard (aeronautics)
In aeronautics, canard is an airframe configuration of fixed-wing aircraft in which the forward surface is smaller than the rearward, the former being known as the "canard", while the latter is the main wing...
) plus the side cross section
Cross section (geometry)
In geometry, a cross-section is the intersection of a figure in 2-dimensional space with a line, or of a body in 3-dimensional space with a plane, etc...
of the wing
Wing
A wing is an appendage with a surface that produces lift for flight or propulsion through the atmosphere, or through another gaseous or liquid fluid...
. This would encourage very small wings. Flat plate airfoils are one possible solution, but they are not a perfect solution, given their easier stall, higher drag and smaller lift. Wings with adaptable surfaces are one possible way of resolving problems.
Popular culture
The fictional F/A-37 Talon (shown), which starred in the 2005 film StealthStealth (film)
Stealth is a 2005 American science fiction action film starring Jessica Biel, Josh Lucas, Jamie Foxx, and Sam Shepard. The film was directed by Rob Cohen, director of The Fast and the Furious and xXx....
, had the "Switchblade's" swing-wing
Swing-wing
A variable-sweep wing is an aeroplane wing that may be swept back and then returned to its original position during flight. It allows the aircraft's planform to be modified in flight, and is therefore an example of a variable-geometry aircraft....
design. The Talon was capable of at least Mach
Mach number
Mach number is the speed of an object moving through air, or any other fluid substance, divided by the speed of sound as it is in that substance for its particular physical conditions, including those of temperature and pressure...
4, and used a pair of scramjet
Scramjet
A scramjet is a variant of a ramjet airbreathing jet engine in which combustion takes place in supersonic airflow...
s/pulse detonation engine
Pulse detonation engine
A pulse detonation engine, or "PDE", is a type of propulsion system that uses detonation waves to combust the fuel and oxidizer mixture. The engine is pulsed because the mixture must be renewed in the combustion chamber between each detonation wave initiated by an ignition source. Theoretically, a...
s for all flight speeds from subsonic to hypersonic.
Also in the 2002 film I-Spy (film), there is a plane which looks incredibly similar to the Northrop Switchblade and is called "Switchblade" or "the Switchblade" (though Eddie Murphy
Eddie Murphy
Edward Regan "Eddie" Murphy is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, singer, director, and musician....
's character calls it "The Leafy Bug"), it has the technology to turn invisible.
The designers of Ace Combat
Ace Combat
Ace Combat is a hybrid arcade-simulation flight action video game series featuring 12 games, published by the Japanese company Namco Bandai Games...
incorporated the design into the similar X-02 Wyvern, an experimental fighter which has featured in Ace Combat 04: Shattered Skies
Ace Combat 04: Shattered Skies
, released in PAL territories as Ace Combat: Distant Thunder, is a semi-realistic flight simulation developed by Namco for the PlayStation 2 video game console...
, Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War
Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War
, released in the PAL region as Ace Combat: Squadron Leader, is a semi-realistic flight combat video game for the PlayStation 2. Like other titles in Namco's Ace Combat series, Ace Combat 5 features gameplay that is a mix between arcade flight and authentic flight simulation...
, Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War
Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War
is a semi-realistic flight simulator developed by Namco for the PlayStation 2 video game console. It is part of the Ace Combat series of games...
and Ace Combat X: Skies of Deception
Ace Combat X: Skies of Deception
is a video game for the PlayStation Portable handheld console. It is the seventh installment of the Ace Combat video game series, the first for the PlayStation Portable system, and the second for a portable console. It was released for the United States on October 24, 2006.-Plot:Aurelia is a...
.
External links
- Switchblade at Area51ZONE.com
- Switchblade at Air-Attack.com