Possibilities for improved supersonic inlet performance

The results from detailed large-scale inlet tests were examined to assess the penalties, in terms of vehicle cruise range, for boundary-layer bleed, less than ideal engine-face pressure recovery, inlet weight, and external cowl drag. The assessment suggested specific improvements in the design of the inlet system that may increase the range of a typical supersonic transport approximately 6.9%. While no single design improvement can account for a large increase in range, careful attention to each design detail can yield a substantial total improvement. Because of noise considerations, future engines for advanced supersonic transports may be approximately 50% larger than used for the present study, making the effects of improved inlet performance even more important.