The concept of tailless aircraft has been around for many years. The idea behind tailless aircraft is to eliminate the traditional tail section of an aircraft, which is typically used for stability and control.
For tailless designs, predicting pitch and yaw characteristics is particularly critical due to the lack of a conventional stabilizer and rudder. While eliminating the tail reduces drag, it also removes surfaces that traditionally provide directional stability and damping in yaw. Vertical fins are often retained on so-called "tailless" designs to remedy this, and the book discusses various approaches to achieving acceptable directional stability without a full empennage. tailless aircraft in theory and practice pdf
Used heavily by Northrop, these are trailing-edge surfaces that split open vertically (like a clamshell). Opening the split aileron on one wing creates massive drag on that side, yawing the aircraft smoothly without needing a vertical fin. The concept of tailless aircraft has been around
The advent of digital computer technologies in the late 20th century transformed tailless aircraft design from an unstable theoretical ideal into an operational reality. Fly-By-Wire (FBW) Systems While eliminating the tail reduces drag, it also