Bombers change shape

The US military has long wanted an airplane that could wander beyond the enemy's territory, and if needed, be able to rush to the target faster than the speed of sound. But paradoxically, if the aircraft is superior at low speed, it is not effective when it reaches the speed of sound.

The answer is now: It's the Switchblade, a distorted plane idea, developed by Northrop Grumman.

At birth (2020 target), it will fly with wingspan of 60 meters perpendicular to the same engine as conventional aircraft. But just before passing the sound speed threshold, its wings will rotate about 60 degrees so that one end of the wing is facing forward, one pointing towards the back. This skew will redistribute compressive shock waves to the front of the aircraft when it reaches supersonic speeds and causes drag.

When the Switchblade returns to below the audio threshold, its wings return to their normal position.

Darpa, a Pentagon research unit, spent $ 10.3 million on Northrop Grumman to create a detailed plan in November 2007. A prototype will be born about 4 years later.

This is not the first attempt to create a winged aircraft. Inventor of SpaceShipOne - Burt Rutan - designed a rotating aircraft for NASA in 1979 . However, the wing made the aircraft very difficult to operate - when the pilot pulled the nose up, the plane was tilted to the side.

The Switchblade is a great candidate to become an unmanned aerial vehicle. The software that controls it can control subtle flight movements.

If all goes well, a prototype with a wingspan of 12 meters would be available by 2010, and a full size Switchblade will be available by 2020.

T. An