Transonic low aspect ratio wing-winglet designs

A numerical design study has been conducted to ascertain the potential of winglets as a drag-reducing measure at high subsonic Mach numbers for low aspect ratio wings. The four variants of the winglet concept studied are a 'detuned' winglet with decreased incidence at the wing-winglet juncture; a steerable winglet; more gradual pressure recovery at the wing and winglet trailing edges; and the application of supercritical airfoil technology. A further study is conducted to assess the accuracy of the numerical code's predicted pressure drag values.