Effects of Symmetric Wing Sweep Angle Variations on the Performance and Stability of Variable-Sweep Wing Aircraft

Research on morphing aircraft that can change geometry to achieve the desired performance and stability under different flight conditions has been ongoing for many years. This study provides a conceptual-level, preliminary analysis of the impact of symmetrically changing the wing sweep angle on aircraft performance and stability. The T-37B-like aircraft is selected as a base to compare the results with T-37B’s known data. The T-37B-like aircraft is modeled in both Digital DATCOM and Open VSP software. Changes in aircraft performance and stability are demonstrated for changes in the wing sweep angle between −10° and 40°. When 0° and 40° wing sweep configurations are compared, it is observed that the 40° wing sweep configuration performs better in terms of climb and range, but worse in terms of takeoff distance, glide, approach, and radius of turn. In terms of static stability, it has a positive effect on longitudinal stability. While it does not significantly affect lateral stability overall, it contributes positively to stability around the roll axis. Changing the symmetrical wing sweep angle is expected to improve certain performance and stability parameters while degrading others. A symmetrical variable-sweep wing offers advantages by adjusting to the optimal sweep angle for each flight phase. Thus, benefits can be fully utilized, and drawbacks minimized. However, it entails design, mechanical, weight, and financial costs. Therefore, whether the performance and stability benefits outweigh these costs must be evaluated on an aircraft-specific basis.