Effect of centerbody boundary-layer removal near the throat of three coniccal nose inlets at Mach 1.6 to 2.0

A zero angle-of-attack investigation of the effect of compression-surface boundary-layer bleed through perforations near the throat of three full-scale conical nose inlets was conducted in the Lewis 8- by 6- foot supersonic wind tunnel for a Mach number range from 1.6 to 2.0. The bleed system increased pressure recovery, shifted the peak of the diffuser-discharge total-pressure profile toward the center-body, and decreased the range of stable inlet operation. A propulsion-system thrust minus drag analysis indicated that the increases in inlet pressure recovery were too small to compensate for the esimated bleed system drags.