Question: Canard-Delta Aircraft

[Freddy Chef]

The latest generation of European fighter aircraft [EF-2000 Eurofighter, Dassault Rafale, Saab JAS-39 Gripen] are canard-delta in design. What are the performance pros and cons of canard-delta aircraft compared to a design such as the F-15 or F/A-18 [that has the all moving tail plane].

 

[JBP]

The latest generation of European fighter aircraft [EF-2000 Eurofighter, Dassault Rafale, Saab JAS-39 Gripen] are canard-delta in design. What are the performance pros and cons of canard-delta aircraft compared to a design such as the F-15 or F/A-18 [that has the all moving tail plane].

That's a rather large answer your searching for, see: Aerodynamics, more specifically = Supermanuverability.

It's argued that those pretty little forward canards improve flight performance and manuverability. Example, Su-27, I believe that's the Russian Sukoi made interceptor that is NATO codenamed "Flanker" and can do the super cool manuever called the "Cobra". It's a really strange thing to see done....

Anyway, the idea is that these new fangled fighters will have "supermanuverability" and be supreme dogfighters. But it's argued that they'll only use pretty turns and "cobra" type manuevers for airshows, not usable in combat. Another good example of supermanuverability is the X-31 EFM jet. It has thrust vectoring AND forward canards. It can do a really cool high angle of attack spin, facing downwards on an axis that would enable it to stay focused/locked onto a target.

You see, with F-15A+B+C+D+E and F/A-18A+B+C+D+E/F variants, they don't have any "supermanuverability". The new age western aircraft, namely the F-22A Raptor and what will be the F-35 JSF, we'll have speed, stealth, look-first-shoot-first abilities and range advantages. No one really knows the characteristics of the F-22A that I've ever talked to, as in regards to how many G's it'll pull, but I bet it could be considered in the "supermanueverable" class also, with 72,000lbs static thrust and VECTORED, it would push the nose around pretty fast!!! It's fly-by-wire at the moment but upgradable to fiber-optic controls later on.... Instant response to pilot controls, no lag.

Anyway, this is all comming from someone who is simply an aviation enthusiast, I can guaruntee there will be some errors in the above. Regardless, let's hope someone posts something with more insight than I, eg> A pilot???

 

[Sf2]

I think one of the theories behind a canard equipped aircraft is that the elevator surfaces get cleaner air during more aggressive flying.  Conventional aircraft have dirty air off the main lifting surfaces that hit the surfaces at the back (another reason for T tails).

Canards guarantee clean airflow throughout the flight envelope - but what the hell do I know, i fly griffons......

 

[Garry]

Pte Joe,

Look around a little: there was a video of the Mig 35 (?)  that made the rounds awhile back. Plenty of vectored thrust, manoeuverable like stink.  The title in the e-mail that had the video was "BFM anyone?"

Kick butt aircraft, excellent video. That a/c could move.......

Delta wings- lots of pro's and cons. The North American aircraft industry is, imho, the best in the world. They used the delta wing concept in the early Century series fighters, then let it go.....had to be a reason.

Cheers-Garry

 

[Good2Golf]

Deltas have fairly good wing loading figures and thus fair manouevrebility, but are quite sensitive to fore-aft weight and balance (you'll see the stores pretty well lined up along the wing's aerodynamic centres of pressure and lift) and have relatively high take off and landing speeds since they generally have only small plain flaps and elevons.  No doubt, great machines (especially French Mirage III's and Isreali Kfirs) when you have the runway infrastructure to permit full loading.  Once they have wheels up in the wells, they are pretty spanking machines.  Notwithstanding that US moved away from Deltas in the 60s/70s, the delta still had some of the highest performance to power/drag ratios going (IIRC, the Convair F-106 Delta Dart still maintains the single-engine delta-wing high-speed world record...around 1525mph (Mach 2.2) at 40k'+ !)

Cheers,
Duey

 

[TCBF]

"but what the heck do I know, i fly griffons......"

Then you are a REAL pilot.  They trust you with a machine that has wings that move.  Not one of those machines that have "seized" wings. ;D