Effect of forebody tangential slot blowing on flow about a full aircraft geometry

The effect of forebody tangential slot blowing on the flowfield about an F/A-18 aircraft is investigated numerically using solutions of the Navier-Stokes equations. Computed solutions are obtained for a full aircraft geometry, including the fuselage, wing with deflected leading-edge flap, empennage, and a faired-over engine inlet. The computational slot geometry corresponds to that used in full-scale wind tunnel tests. Solutions are computed using flight test conditions and jet mass flow ratios equivalent to wind tunnel test conditions. The effect of slot location is analyzed by computing two non-time-accurate solutions with a 16 in. slot located 3 in. and 11 in. aft of the nose of the aircraft. These computations resolve the trends observed in the full-scale wind tunnel test data. The flow aft of the leading edge extension (LEX) vortex burst is unsteady. A time-accurate solution is obtained to investigate the flow characteristics aft of the vortex burst, including the effect of blowing on tail buffet.