AV-8B N/A aerodynamics

[DaveRindner]

A combat loaded AV-8B with tanks, gunpod, center ECM or LITENING pod, bombs, and two AIM-9Ms, looks about as aerodynamic as a washing machine with jetpipe. How exactly does it stay in air with cold and hot nozzles pointed to the rear?

Don't get me wrong, it is a 'pretty' mean looking aircraft

[myHelljumper]

~100kN of thrust.

[Yoda967]

The short answer is "lift". The wings are still generating roughly the same amount of lift for a given airspeed, even with all the added drag associated with the external load. It may seem counterintuitive to you, but with all that extra "stuff" hung on the outside, the jet is heavier and LESS able to fly with the nozzles pointed down (hence the conventional and rolling STOL take off techniques).

 

 

Same as with any aircraft, the wing generates more lift as the airflow across it increases, so the simple answer to getting airborne while loaded is to increase the airflow over the wings...to go faster.

 

 

Of course, the faster you go, the more drag is generated and the harder the jet has to work to increase airspeed.