Swept wing

A swept wing is a wing that angles either backward or occasionally forward from its root rather than in a straight sideways direction. Wing sweep has the effect of delaying the shock waves and accompanying aerodynamic drag rise caused by fluid compressibility near the speed of sound, improving performance. Swept wings are therefore often used on jet aircraft designed to fly at these speeds. Swept wings are also sometimes used for other reasons, such as structural convenience or visibility.Tu-95 propeller-driven bomber with swept wings, cruise speed 710 km/hKC-10 Extender, cruise speed: 908 km/hHFB 320 Hansa Jet with forward swept wings, cruise speed: 825 km/hSwept wing and tailplane of a Virgin Atlantic Airbus A340-600. A swept wing is a wing that angles either backward or occasionally forward from its root rather than in a straight sideways direction. Wing sweep has the effect of delaying the shock waves and accompanying aerodynamic drag rise caused by fluid compressibility near the speed of sound, improving performance. Swept wings are therefore often used on jet aircraft designed to fly at these speeds. Swept wings are also sometimes used for other reasons, such as structural convenience or visibility. Wing sweep at high speeds was first investigated in Germany as early as 1935, but it found no application until just before the end of the Second World War. Swept wings became common on advanced first-generation jet fighters like the MiG-15 and F-86 Sabre, which demonstrated a decisive superiority over the slower first generation of straight-wing jet fighters during the Korean War. Since then, swept wings have become almost universal on all but the slowest jets (such as the A-10). The term 'swept wing' is normally used to mean 'swept back', but other swept variants include forward sweep, variable sweep wings and oblique wings in which one side sweeps forward and the other back. The delta wing also incorporates the same advantages as part of its layout.