Aeritalia STOL USB Combat Aircraft Designs

[amsci99]

A Japanese forum credits this as a Aeritalia study for a F-104S replacement. Another forum credits this as a Aeritalia study for a G.91 replacement. Seem there's no agreement on the issue. Btw, MANTUS are these pics from a book on the EAP programme from the 80s?

Aeritalia ait-303?

[pic links dead - Admin]

 

[overscan (PaulMM)]

AIT320 represents Aeritalia's main thrust of study leading to Eurofighter.

This odd design is something else.

The patent pics are from the patent http://www.google.com/patents/US4478378 filed in 1982.

The scanned drawing I think is originally from Aviation Week, though I can't be 100% sure.

It seems to be the work of a single individual, Alfredo Capuani, working at Aeritalia and the patent lapsed due to non-payment of fees indicating mostly likely this was not a serious avenue of study.

ABSTRACT

A jet propelled aircraft of the kind in which propulsion jets are directed over the top surface of the wing so as to cause additional lift as a result of the supercirculation induced on the wing and the deflection of the jets downwards, due to the Coanda effect, immediately downstream of the wing is provided with two longitudinal surfaces projecting from said top surface so as to form a single surface ejector system. The wing of the aircraft has a fixed front part which occupies a minor portion of the wing chord, and a movable rear portion which is articulated to the fixed portion about a substantially transverse axis and can be inclined downwards relative to the fixed part. The portion of the wing between the two longitudinal surfaces may be provided on its trailing edge with a movable attitude control surface of the aircraft. The aircraft may also include a sensor to detect variations in the relative air flow direction in a determined flight attitude, and an actuator to control the movable control surface as a function of the output signal of the sensor in such a manner as to maintain unchanged the attitude of the aircraft.

 

[overscan (PaulMM)]

Mr Capuani continued this avenue in 1988 patent https://www.google.com/patents/EP0356601A1 with a heavy dose of Testors F-19.

 

[Mike Pryce]

These are Aeritalia designs from the 1980s - I've seen a brochure.


BAe signed an agreement with them in 1986 to look at ASTOVL (part of attempts to sell Sea Harrier to Italian Navy). The designs were intended to be STOL (or ultra STOL IIRC). The engine exhaust flow/nozzles were to achieve 'super circulation'.


When the Harrier team at Kingston saw these designs they were a little surprised - a number of issues arose due to structural heating etc.

 

[Rickshaw]

Mr Capuani continued this avenue in 1988 patent https://www.google.com/patents/EP0356601A1 with a heavy dose of Testors F-19.

Interesting. What was he hoping to achieve with the engine exhaust in that position? Any ideas?

 

[Raptor_101]

Just by looking at the patent information, I gathered that the aircraft tilts the engines to make use of the Coanda effect along with the under-slung stabilizers to stabilize the aircraft "automatically" to a normal flying state from maneuvers outside this regime.

 

[amsci99]

Paul,

Thank you for your post and we now know that it's an individual effort and not part of the study initiated by Aeritalia leading to the EAP.

Mr Capuani continued this avenue in 1988 patent https://www.google.com/patents/EP0356601A1 with a heavy dose of Testors F-19.

 

[overscan (PaulMM)]

Paul,

Thank you for your post and we now know that it's an individual effort and not part of the study initiated by Aeritalia leading to the EAP.

Mr Capuani continued this avenue in 1988 patent https://www.google.com/patents/EP0356601A1 with a heavy dose of Testors F-19.

As Harrier said, he has seen a brochure so these are official Aeritalia designs from the 80s, not something he knocked up in his spare time.

 

[overscan (PaulMM)]

Aeritalia Begins Development of STOL Combat Aircraft
Artist's drawing shows basic concepts for a short takeoff and landing aircraft being studied by Aeritalia’s combat aircraft group. The main feature is over-wing blowing, which Aeritalia calls super-circulation. The concept also makes use of the ejector effect, in which the surrounding air is pulled along by the air that is ejected from the engine, and the Coanda effect, which is the tendency of flowing air to continue bending after it has passed over a curved surface. Aeritalia has patented its plans to combine the three to improve lift. The company is studying the feasibility of applying such technology to the next generation of combat aircraft.

Turin—Aeritalia has begun technology development work for a new-generation short takeoff and landing combat aircraft. “If the feasibility studies show it is good, we could begin building the technology demonstrator in the next year or so," Giandomenico Cantele, general manager of Aeritalia’s combat aircraft group, said. The development work is based on a process patented by Aeritalia to combine standard over-wing blowing, the ejector effect and the coanda effect. The ejector effect is the tendency of an ejected high velocity stream of air to pull neighboring air with it. The coanda effect is the tendency of a flow of air that is bent over a surface to continue bending even after it has passed the surface.

Studies have shown that the proper combination of the effects can give a 10-30% improvement in payload and range compared with standard over-wing blowing. Aeritalia believes it is feasible to develop a combat aircraft with a takeoff roll of less than 100 ft. The aircraft avoids most of the range/payload restrictions of a vertical takeoff aircraft because wing lift, rather than direct thrust, is used in the takeoff.

Source: Aviation Week, 7 April 1986.

 

[CiTrus90]

Maybe related to Mr. Capuani's work?

http://www.secretprojects.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic,169.msg216735.html#msg216735

Regards.

 

[hesham]

Great find my dear Paul.

 

[Bazinga]

Aeritalia Begins Development of STOL Combat Aircraft
Artist's drawing shows basic concepts for a short takeoff and landing aircraft being studied by Aeritalia’s combat aircraft group. The main feature is over-wing blowing, which Aeritalia calls super-circulation. The concept also makes use of the ejector effect, in which the surrounding air is pulled along by the air that is ejected from the engine, and the Coanda effect, which is the tendency of flowing air to continue bending after it has passed over a curved surface. Aeritalia has patented its plans to combine the three to improve lift. The company is studying the feasibility of applying such technology to the next generation of combat aircraft.

Turin—Aeritalia has begun technology development work for a new-generation short takeoff and landing combat aircraft. “If the feasibility studies show it is good, we could begin building the technology demonstrator in the next year or so," Giandomenico Cantele, general manager of Aeritalia’s combat aircraft group, said. The development work is based on a process patented by Aeritalia to combine standard over-wing blowing, the ejector effect and the coanda effect. The ejector effect is the tendency of an ejected high velocity stream of air to pull neighboring air with it. The coanda effect is the tendency of a flow of air that is bent over a surface to continue bending even after it has passed the surface.

Studies have shown that the proper combination of the effects can give a 10-30% improvement in payload and range compared with standard over-wing blowing. Aeritalia believes it is feasible to develop a combat aircraft with a takeoff roll of less than 100 ft. The aircraft avoids most of the range/payload restrictions of a vertical takeoff aircraft because wing lift, rather than direct thrust, is used in the takeoff.

Source: Aviation Week, 7 April 1986.

The article that came with it