BAE Systems通过使用超人吹的空气而不是副翼或控制表面，成功地操纵了飞行中的第一架飞行飞机，从而实现了航空历史的里程碑。这项壮举发生在威尔士西北部格温尼德的Llanbedr机场的天空中。飞行的测试对象是翼形的岩浆无人机。
BAE Systems的Magma无人机使用了两种新的“无瓣”技术，根据BAE系统将有助于彻底改变飞机设计。目前，传统飞机利用舵，电梯，副翼，襟翼和其他控制表面以除直线以外的任何方式飞行。我们在飞机设计方面已经有十多年的发展，但是我们却陷入了困境。最佳定义为粗糙，复杂，沉重且效率低下的系统。
岩浆无人机是由BAE Systems与英国政府和曼彻斯特大学合作创建的。它利用了一种直接而简单的“吹气”技术，可以从内部产生超音速空气，而不是控制空气流的控制表爱游戏ayx体育面。目前，岩浆正在对两种“无瓣”技术的两次迭代进行测试。爱游戏ayx体育
第一个被称为机翼循环控制，第二个被称为流体推力矢量。对于机翼循环控制，飞机发动机的空气被擦掉，然后通过在特殊形状的机翼尾边缘周围制造的狭窄插槽吹出，以执行Aileron的确切工作。流体推力矢量矢量旋转发动机的喷气排气，通过将空气吹入喷嘴内，以改变飞机的俯仰。
根据BAE系统，岩浆技术不仅具有增强飞机控制和性能的潜力，而爱游戏ayx体育且还将使飞机变得更轻，更便宜，更可靠。此外，通过将常规控制表面中存在的差距和边缘从方程式中移出，飞机也变得更加隐形，反射性较小。
Bill Crowther, senior academic and leader of the Magma project at The University of Manchester, said, ‘We are excited to have been part of a long-standing effort to change the way in which aircraft can be controlled, going all the way back to the invention of wing warping by the Wright brothers. It’s been a great project for students to be part of, highlighting that real innovation in engineering is more about finding practical solutions to many hundreds of small technical challenges than having single moments of inspiration. The partnership with BAE Systems has allowed us the freedom as a university to focus on research adventure, with BAE Systems providing the pathway to industrial application. We made our first fluidic thrust vectoring nozzle from glued together bits of plastic and tested it on a hair drier fan nearly 20 years ago. Today BAE Systems is 3D printing our components out of titanium, and we are flight testing them on the back of a jet engine in an aircraft designed and built by the project team. It doesn’t get much better than that.’
