Could be extra structure to keep the wing flex down. That's a pretty high aspect wing and would want to flap.
Makes you think if NG succeed with active flutter control on RQ-180 long thin wings and someone did not.
 
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Makes you think if NG succeed with active flutter control on RQ-180 long thin wings and someone did not.
Could just be supports for very long wings, the outer section is about as wide as RQ-180's but overall span is significantly longer.
 
Go on CNKI, search up active flutter control and see for yourself. It's pretty hilarious to suggest a Chinese design in the 2020s is behind that of equivalent American ones.
If it was using active flutter control it wouldn't need those extra chunks of structure compromising its RCS.
 

I often wish Flateric would spend an extra two sentences of effort to explain why people are wrong.

My guess is that aircraft are under aerodynamic loads which increase with the size of the part. So, simply scaling up a surface doesn't solve the issue, as the forces on the surface grow as well (and in some circumstances grow more rapidly),
 
Such as? The B-2 did it to increase stiffness during low-level flight.

Well, it is more a matter of expressing some humility.

But let's say you were very committed to a sweep angle for reasons related to RCS, but you also had your wingspan limited to 52 metres, and you needed a certain lifting area to optimise for a specific cruise s[eed, but you couldn't allow your centre of lift to move too far backwards... it might be structurally lighter way to achieve this? That said, there may well be a better way (e.g. redesigning the central component).

But, truth is, I don't really know (as I said, regarding humility).

I just know that there are usually multiple design trade-offs for any choice - so there is usually also more than one set of reasons one could use to attempt to justify a design choice.
 
Such as? The B-2 did it to increase stiffness during low-level flight.
Plus the GLAS for B-2. You can see this new Chinese wing not for low-level flight. Larger inboard elevons for more pitch authority possibly but all surfaces would be involved with and contribute to gust load alleviation. Depends on the flight regime and where their critical structural bending nodes are.
 
I often wish Flateric would spend an extra two sentences of effort to explain why people are wrong.

My guess is that aircraft are under aerodynamic loads which increase with the size of the part. So, simply scaling up a surface doesn't solve the issue, as the forces on the surface grow as well (and in some circumstances grow more rapidly),

https://www.secretprojects.co.uk/th...utility-technology-testbed.14417/#post-190476

https://www.secretprojects.co.uk/th...tier-systems-w570-arrow-shadow.511/#post-3732

https://www.secretprojects.co.uk/threads/northrop-grumman-rq-180.20900/page-22#post-891319
 
If you want a configuration which is a semi, flying wing, the Northrop Low Altitude Penetrator concept would be a configuration of choice, stiff and very high wing loading.
 

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