SPACEPHOTOS

In-flight photo of the F-15B equipped with the Supersonic Natural Laminar Flow (SS-NLF) experiment. During four research flights, laminar flow was achieved over 80 percent of the test wing at speeds approaching Mach 2. This was accomplished as the sole result of the shape of the wing, without the use of suction gloves, such as on the F-16XL. Laminar flow is a condition in which air passes over a wing in smooth layers, rather than being turbulent The greater the area of laminar flow, the lower the amount of friction drag on the wing, thus increasing an aircraft's range and fuel economy. Increasing the area of laminar flow on a wing has been the subject of research by engineers since the late 1940s, but substantial success has proven elusive. The SS-NLF experiment was intended to provide engineers with the data by which to design natural laminar flow wings.