Why Delta Canards are so popular (long format) 

My son asked me this question last year when he was 6, I told him it was because delta wings are inherently unstable at convenient angles of attack in subsonic flight so we couldn’t use them until we had computers fast enough to replace direct control with fly by wire. Then he asked me about flight stability and what subsonic meant…. 3 months later we were standing on USS Midway in San Diego harbor so I could show him in person. The entire time in between involved me brushing up on fluid dynamics and having video calls with an uncle who worked on the Saturn 5 when he was a young engineer. Moral of the story: teach your kids, but be wary of the rabbit hole you may be going down.

for the algorithm.

I forgot how much I loved tracing paper. Used so effectively in these videos.

One rather important plane missed in this video is the J 35 Draken that was also around at the same time as those early delta wings, but wasn't just a delta, but what is now called double delta as it got two different angles on the delta wing. This was rather ahead of it's time and shared many of the advantages of the canard delta wing configuration. There was a NASA study where they took an F-16 turned it easily modified and tested lots of different wing configurations, even strange ones like forward swept wings. The two they found were the most efficient was the canard delta and the double delta ones that had similar performance data. One rather interesting thing about this is that it's quite possible we will get a return of this configuration as while canard delta have stealth issues so are the double delta naturally stealthy and well suited for internal stores as well.

The wings of the JAS-39 "Echo" are completely different from the JAS-39 "Charlie" in design, profile and construction. I can't say if this is because they are now made of composite material or also because of the additional tanks, but the Gripen-E has a much robust fuselage body than the Gripen-C... On the internet there are AKAER drawings that clearly show the structural difference in size, design and material engineering.

According to a Dassault engineer, the position of the canards near the wing root of the Rafale are only intended to control the vortex above the wing while the canards of the Eurofighter, further forward, are mainly there to increase the maneuverability of the aircraft by generating a controllable lift force at the front of the aircraft. Same design, different purpose.

Consistently the most educational, thorough, and well-explained videos. Thank you.

Ah the Delta wing videos, easily the video that convinced me this was a channel to follow. The best on RU-vid on easily explained and comprehensive aeronautics.

Wow! I really enjoyed this format with narrated drawings! Another improvement to an already excellent channel! 👍👍👍👏👏👏

The intro could be a villain’s beginning story 😂

We here on millennium 7* comment for the algorithm. Most underrated military tech channel on RU-vid.

Great video, more interesting and useful to enquiring minds than 99% of "creative" content

Great video on my second favourite aircraft topic, late cold war/early modern delta-canards. Very interesting as usual, although I still want a bit more about the reasoning between close-coupled canard(Rafale) Vs long-coupled(Euro fighter)

Please cover the Gripen / Rafale / Eurofighter / J10 / LCA mkI and MkII. Thank you soo much !

The Mirage III was also based on the Fairey Delta 2 and the testing done at Cazaux Air Base ( 47 test flights with Dassault engineers participating in the trials ) . Dassault was able to see the future and was able to incorporate and confirm his ideas that led to the Mirage family of Delta aircraft.

Fascinating video. Thank you!

Saab Viggen: if one delta wing is good, double delta wings are better!

I have lots of questions and contentions with what is in this video... Yes, a number of if not all the characteristics of a delta wing are true but... - Are not leading wing extensions an essential part of nearly all wingplans nowadays? It's my impression that it's an essential part along with other extendable wing parts like flaps, trailing slats and spoilers that modify the overall size, shape and even airfoil to what is considered optimal for the given speed and this is all implemented not only in miltary but also commercial aircraft. It was impression this is the true reason why swing wings no longer exist as the better way to modify the wingplan and airfoil radically through numerous smaller changes in flight rather than major hinged pieces being moved. Incidentally, this is also what I consider the possibly fatal flaw of the 737-MAX design, which introduces a new way to rely on fly-by-wire using sensory inputs during low and slow speeds rather than changing the wingplan and airfoil. The idea might have had value if implemented correctly but Boeing's hubris to cut costs on sensor systems made the 737-MAX unreliable and suffered disasters. - A big missing piece pf this video is covering why modern delta canards aren't seen in probably in most popular fighter jet of the last 40 years... The F-16. Yes, it was designed just prior to the universal designs of delta canards. But, it should also be recognized that General Dynamics built F-16 delta testbeds and although there have been plenty of speculation and discussion in the real world, General Dynamics never changed over to any kind of delta configuration. It seems that the fly-by-wire that's touted in this video to solve so many delta canard problems also makes the F-16 possible to fly at all. It's said that the delta wing indisputably would enable the F-16 to carry a vastly heavier load but obviously the decision was made that the drawbacks exceeded the benefits of the original stubby wing design the F-16 still has today. Something is better about the F-16 without a delta wing than with it. - This video is probably very wrong about the supposed incompatibility between a delta wing and stealth. If you look at both the F-22 and F-35 wingplans, they're both the uniquely American preference for a modified delta "diamond" design. The only difference between the diamond and pure delta designs are the trailing edges. There is almost certainly some difference in the airfoil, too. It should be noted also that the canards probably exist more for maneuverability and lift only in extreme attitudes than in ordinary flight when you compare to American designs without canards. American designs instead implement enlarged tail surfaces to provide sufficient control, especially the super sized V shaped tail surfaces of the F-22. Compare the American designs with for instance the Chinese J-20 and you'll notice how tiny the tail surfaces are for the Chinese aircraft by comparison.

Very comprehensive, nice summary. Loved it.

I think we are a similar age. I was born in 1969. I got into aircraft from Jane's ATF and Jane's Fighter Anthology video game. And flight simulators. Love your content.

Great analysis, answered many of my questions.

Still sad Canada didn't choose Gripen.

Thank you, Sir!

Great video.

Delta canards configurations are really awesome

That intro story about Your dad is why I smashed the like button! I have very similar stories

I think you should make your aircraft prints available for us to download and colour in ;-)

Can you do a video on trapezoidal wings? I've always seen them as a kind of fusion between deltas and reverse sweep wings but I'm not sure if they give the benefits of both worlds; the F22 and F35 seem to use them so maybe it's the best option when stealth is involved?

I miss the big reason for Canards. The low speed during landing and take-off. Short landing and take-off runways. A great tactical advantage.

Great thank you on this amazing video.

Hey another video... :) Im just happy to see you looking healthy again Take care and keep well

I have no idea as it is only going to end up as crispy Duck !!

The lift theory based on bernoulli principle is one of the misunderstandings of aerodynamic theory. Even as this is taught in universities today. There is no reason why particles passing on the top of the wing profile must reach the back edge of the wing at the same time as particles moving below the wing. This has also not been demonstrated to occur. What the wing does is, that it directs the airflow downwards. As postulated in Newton III, the counterforce caused by the air then causes lift.

As a Delta fan, my compliments M7*! I do have a question based on the realities of early delta wing fighters. Delta fighters could out turn most of their adversaries. But, the fly in the ointment was in a sustained turn, where the delta would begin to lose lift within the first full circle. I know this is true, but perhaps you could expound on the reasons. TIA

This guy talks about aeronautical engineering like I understand it. I listen intently like I understand it. I think that means I'm smart. Yes.....I absolutely am. 🤗

👍👍 worth repeating and refreshing ..

As always very interesting.

Amazing video

Guess the IAI Lavi was the closest we came to seeing a delta-canard esque F-16.

excelent info.

Excellent explanation. It would be nice if you could explain what makes a thinner wing heavier by design than a thick wing, if I understood correctly that part of your video. Maybe some time in another video. Thanks again for your fantastic work on this channel.

Great stuff. Can you plz mention the x-29 in some future video? It's a so interesting plane and I would love to her more about it 🙂

sweeping the wings forward and canardand YF23 blackwidow Vshaped diagonal V cleave tail

You should make a video on the MiG-29, maybe more specifically about how a twin engine Fighter could cost such a low amount as to be a competitor to the F-16.

Does the SR-71A Blackbird function as a deltawing even though it was the first attempt at stealth (32:00)? Do the engines interrupt the vortex creation (5:44)? Does the SR-71A fuselage have lerx (33:44) properties?

The Canard on the Rafale did in addition improve to airflow over the main wings at high angles of attack, it's not so the case on some other delta winged fighters...

I would appreciate it if you could cover exotic expiremental aircraft like the thunderscreech etc...

28:30 I don’t know if this is similar but I’ve seen the F-35’s trailing edge flaps elevate upward even when pitching up. Is is to generate more lift or perhaps is it to decrease the load the wing is bearing?

1:27 lmao I never thought of this when I watched the original video but that's like my mom. I'll be explaining how the delta is different than some other design and my mom will just be like, "okay, they still all look the same to me."

Hey! Remember what people said? Yes! The j20 is not invisible . . you finally said that！As one would expect.

Liked and shared.

I’m not sure but I think I’ve read that the Saab Viggen canard control surfaces was only used as landing flaps and not for combat manouvers?

Canards have fundamental advantages. I don’t know why Airbus or Boeing never designed a commercial passenger jet with a good sized canard. Less drag, less wing loading for lower landing speeds, direct control of how fast the nose rotates down at touchdown, possibly better handling to compensate for a lost engine. Imagine the backward force on the landing gear strut caused by the nose wheel having to spin up from 0 rpm to landing speeds in the length of a runway skid mark. This backward force on the landing strut creates a huge instantaneous structural load in a sideways direction. And when the nose is dropping twice as fast, then the nose wheel must rotate up to landing speed in half the skid mark distance, thus doubling the instantaneous lateral force on the nose wheel strut.

Thanks for the info. Cheers.

Makes even me understand 😅

FBW is a MUST for a fully-moving canard fighter-jet due to the inherent instability of this geometry. Only since about 1980 in the West, such capabilities started being developed. Radar-Stealth contradicts canards. Pure-Delta is only for very-high landing-approach speeds, thus NOT for carriers or frontal runways. Also not for Close Air Support (CAS) missions e.g. A-10, Su-25. Not even with Delta-Canard. Delta = hugh drag due to long wing-root chord, thus shorter mission-radius/persistence.

No the airfoil doesn't make the air above the wing move faster than the air below. Just the opposite. The shape of the wing obstructs the flow over the top of the wing creating a low pressure on the upper part of the wing compared to underneath.

Salúd! Stay in Health & get better

Can you give your opinion on FA-50

You forgot to mention that the cold war was fought in the air over the Baltic sea by the Swedish air force in the J-35 draken delta wing M2+ supercruise g Fighter, which was STOL, could use common car roads and do the cobra maneuver since 1960. Sweden had more than half of Europes border to Soviet union. The pilots reported it continued to accelerate, even while gaining altitudes, well beyond M2. But the engine was damaged by too high speed, so the limit could not be tested. AJ-35 Viggen had fixed canards with a flap from 1971, as the first delta canard fighter. I even miss the possibility of all moving canard delta configuration to change the aerodynamic center and the possibility of fly by wire to place the engine far back for better airodynamics.

Can we talk about the Mig 1.41?

ok but F-15's, 16's, 18's, 22's, 35's also generate those lifting root vortices. So do Mig-29's and Su-27's. Why do we not call them delta wing? It seems to me the term is somewhere between nebulous and meaningless.

Delta wings are the most important for a fighter jet. That's why F14 exists.

Canards always felt like a crutch to me. I'm sure this has a lot to do with my interest in military aircraft really taking off around the same time as stealth was taking off. I think lifting body designs will be the path of the future.

Probably, a stupid question, because I'm writing it before I watched the video, cause I'm not sure about the delta wing.. Yet. Because I'm sure I will be after your video. But isn't the F-22, the F-35, the Su-57 also kind of an delta wing design? Looking on the blueprints from above the wings are 90% a perfect triangle isn't it?

Scuola Superiore Aerospaziale Generale Broglio 1985 ❤️

You're not going to talk about the new photo of the B-21

Alpha canards only! 😁

Delta wings are so inefficient that they leak air from the bottom surface of the wing to the top surface. This flaw that makes them more efficient.

Audio is super quiet on this

It remember some people had citicized canards used in the Chinese aircraft. So what now?

I got lost at computer controlled artificial stability.

Volume is to low.

I really hate the word "foreplanes". Its a tricky one to get right.

first comment

There's one little (well, quite huge tbh) interesting plane of similar configuration MiG-1.44 JIC ;)

f

So basically everyone is coping from the Chinese? 🤯

who cares about delta J35 jumpet to dubbel delta in 1955 first airplane to do the Kort Parad (cobra mauver) and had a mechanichal computer data link system.

I am liking your content more an more. But I do think it is hard as your monotone voice makes it difficult to consume. This is not something correctable I know. The attention to detail can make my attention wonder. But otherwise enjoyable in small doses.

Bernouli is overrated. Super Video

sorry but the video is way too quiet, id like to watch it but i can not understand you over the sound of my -bad decisions- tinitus.

17:30 Because of the Chinese copy

The origin of the delta wing in Germany??? Roland Payen is rolling in his grave...

I hope you stay away from huge New York steaks, my mother got to marry a Boeing engineer for a year before he passed, left her a million. I only met him once and he had the same cut I did. She told me he was the only guy she ever loved, she would have died too if not for the heart break $.

Are u working at NASA, boeing or just an internet freak?

I am that fighter jet kid ,too 🤣🤣🤣 from 3 years old 🤣