Diverterless supersonic inlet

Diverterless supersonic inlet
Testing of the F-35 Diverterless Supersonic Inlet on an F-16 testbed. The original intake is shown in the top image.

A diverterless supersonic inlet (DSI) is a type of jet engine air intake used by some modern combat aircraft to control air flow into their engines. It consists of a "bump" and a forward-swept inlet cowl, which work together to divert boundary layer airflow away from the aircraft's engine while compressing the air to slow it down from supersonic speed. The DSI can be used to replace conventional methods of controlling supersonic and boundary layer airflow, such as the intake ramp and inlet cone, which are more complex, heavy and expensive.^[1]

Research into the DSI was done by Lockheed Martin in the early 1990s. The first DSI was flown on 11 December 1996, installed on a F-16 Block 30 fighter and replacing aircraft's original intake diverter. The modified F-16 demonstrated a maximum speed of Mach 2.0 and handling characteristics similar to a normal F-16. It was also shown that subsonic specific excess power was slightly improved. A DSI was later incorporated into the design of the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II.^[1]

The JF-17 Thunder also uses a DSI. Work on the DSI was started in 1999 with the aim of improving aircraft performance and took almost two years, during which a number of models underwent wind tunnel tests at different speed regimes. It was found that the DSI gave high performance, high total pressure recovery, low integrated distortion and good engine/intake matching.^[2]

The Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II, JF-17 Thunder, Chengdu J-10B and Chengdu J-20 fighters all incorporate DSI.

See also

• Chengdu J-10
• Chengdu J-20
• JF-17 Thunder
• Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Hehs, Eric (15 July 2000). "JSF Diverterless Supersonic Inlet". Code One magazine. Lockheed Martin. http://www.codeonemagazine.com/article.html?item_id=58. Retrieved 11 February 2011. 
2. ^ Khan, Wg Cdr Abid Ali; Rafiqui, Sqn Ldr Ahsan, "JF-17 Thunder: A Giant Leap", Hilal Magazine (Pakistan Military Consortium) (2005/2006 60th Anniversary special), http://www.pakdef.info/pakmilitary/airforce/ac/jf17giantleap.html, retrieved August 2009 

External links

• "JSF Diverterless Supersonic Inlet" - Code One magazine, Lockheed Martin