Experimental study on the aerodynamic characteristics of a fighter-type aircraft model in close formation flight

This paper presents on the aerodynamic characteristics of a fighter-type aircraft model in formation flight. The effect of longitudinal and lateral distance changes on the aerodynamic characteristics of a trailing aircraft is investigated by experiment. The wind-tunnel testing is conducted with two-5% scaled small sized fighter-type aircraft models. Aerodynamic forces and moments of a trailing aircraft model are measured at 49 locations on the cross-section behind a leading aircraft model. It is observed that the leading aircraft affects the incremental lift and drag of the trailing aircraft significantly. It is also proved that the aerodynamic characteristics of the trailing aircraft can be improved if positioned at proper locations behind the leading aircraft while in formation flight