Hypersonic Vehicle Aerodynamics

TsAGI’s experience in investigating hypersonic vehicles has led to a methodology for development. TsAGI can help you at any stage of hypersonic projects.

During design-work TsAGI takes into account:

• distinction of aerodynamic configuration of aerospace vehicles and their tragectories from respective parameters of classical aircraft-type vehicles
• high level of airframe-power plant integration
• shape of a lower vehicle surface to provide: efficient operation of the power plant, required lifting qualities, minimization of losses for trimming, effect of operative engine jets
• flight trajectory up to landing
• «optimal» aerodynamic configuration for cruise supersonic flight
• acceptable aerodynamic characteristics over a flight trajectory
• design requirements
• vehicle purpose
• aerodynamic characteristics of longitudinal and lateral stability
• efficiency of aerodynamic controls
• flow fields over vehicles

TsAGI can solve problems of optimization of plan forms and thickness distributions of spatial small aspect ratio wings in hypersonic flows including equilibrium and nonequilibrium real gas effects, viscosity and leading edge bluntness to obtain maximum lift-to-drag ratio. The skill in developing the «Buran» orbiter demonstrates the reliability of TsAGI-created investigation methodology for aerospace vehicles.