STUDY OF FLYING WING PLANFORM AND AIRFOIL SHAPE EFFECT ON RADAR CROSS SECTION

• Main Author: Kristianto, Yeremia
• Format: Final Project
• Language: Indonesia
• Online Access: https://digilib.itb.ac.id/gdl/view/62004
• Institution: Institut Teknologi Bandung

Stealth capability has been considered as one of the important aspects of military aircraft design. The key is to lower detectability, which for radar threat is measured by radar cross section (RCS). One of the most effective method to reduce RCS is shaping. In this study, the shaping of flying wing configuration aircraft to reduce RCS is explored. Flying wing configuration is selected for its simplicity and applicability. An observation of currently existing stealth aircraft is conducted, then a parametrization method is used to generate various planform and airfoil shapes. This yields a base planform shape of a modified delta-planform with six parameters. While for the airfoil, NACA-6-series is used as the base shape and there are three parameters. A total of 18 aircraft shapes with varying parameter and constant wing area of 5m2 is simulated using physical optics method to calculate the RCS. By looking at sectoral RCS averages and statistic, the effects of several parameter are analyzed. For planform shape, it is found that leading-edge-swept and trailing-edge-angle has significant effect on RCS pattern, because it determines the location of primary and secondary peaks in azimuth, which has huge intensity of 46 and 20 dBsm higher than overall average of -33 dBsm. Compared to delta planform, a non-zero trailing-edge-angle reduces the average RCS in elevation angle about 15?30 dBsm. Other planform parameters had little effect, changing the average RCS by only less than 4 dBsm. For airfoil shape, faceted surfaces reduce average RCS about 6?10 dBsm. While for conventional airfoil, a symmetrical and thin airfoil is preferable with possible RCS reduction of 2?6 dBsm compared to cambered-thick airfoil.