Inlet for Turbofan Powered High Performance Tactical Missiles

The duPont Aerospace Company, Inc. proposes to design an innovative inlet suitable for a hypersonic cruise missile. The innovative features consist of an inlet cowl which rotates outward from the retracted position to accommodate the airflow requirements of the engine, a coordinated variation in throat area and possible elimination of boundary layer bleed. The retracted position allows the engine to be closed off for hypersonic glide operation, and the various extended positions match the engine airflow requirements over the Mach number range from zero to six. The coordinated throat area variation matches the contraction necessary to reduce the inlet Mach number to a low value prior to the final normal shock. Boundary layer bleed requirements may be eliminated providing a more efficient overall solution if the resulting distortion is acceptable for the turbine engine. The Phase I work consists of CAD design and associated aerodynamic analysis using duPont proprietary methods which have been thoroughly proven in the NASP program. The final result is expected to be an optimized inlet that meets all system requirements.