 | The unmanned Switchblade may use Small Diameter Bombs, whose wings unfold upon deployment to increase their range |
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For years, the U.S. military has wanted a plane that could loiter just
outside enemy territory for more than a dozen hours and, on command, hurtle
toward a target faster than the speed of sound. And then level it. But aircraft
that excel at subsonic flight are inefficient at Mach speeds, and vice versa.
The answer is Switchblade, an unmanned, shape-changing plane concept under
development by Northrop Grumman.
When completed (target date: 2020), it will cruise with its 200-foot-long wing
perpendicular to its engines like a normal airplane. But just before the craft
breaks the sound barrier, its single wing will swivel around 60 degrees (hence
the name) so that one end points forward and the other back. This oblique
configuration redistributes the shock waves that pile up in front of a plane at
Mach speeds and cause drag.
Ed.note: This is an Oblique Wing design. For more info check this
link.