Design of the Circulation Control Wing STOL Demonstrator Aircraft

Research and development have been conducted at the David W. Taylor Naval Ship Research and Development Center to develop the STOL capability of the circulation control wing concept. This simple high lift system employs tangential blowing over the wing's rounded training .edge, and can more than double the lifting capability of conventional high performance aircraft. Based on the associated STOL benefits, design and flight testing of the concept on a full-scale A-6A flight demonstrator have been completed by Grumman Aerospace Corporation. The present paper addresses experimental development of the vehicle, details of the full-scale aircraft design, predicted STOL performance benefits, and some flight test results.