AIAA Paper 91-3195

Downloaded by KUNGLIGA TEKNISKA HOGSKOLEN KTH on February 18, 2016 | http://arc.aiaa.org | DOI: 10.2514/6.1991-3195

Aerodynamic Design Evolution

of the SAAB JAS 39 Gripen Aircraft

Karl E. Modin
Ulf Clareus
Saab Aircraft Division
Linkoping, Sweden

AIAA/ AHS/ ASEE Aircraft Design Systems

and Operations Meeting

Baltimore, Maryland
September 23-25, 1991

~ ~~

For permission to copy or republish, contact the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics
370 LEnfant Promenade, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20024

AERODYNAMIC DESIGN EVOLUTION OF THE SAAB 39 GRIPEN AIRCRAFT
Karl-Erik Modin* and Ulf Ciareus**
Saab Aircraft Division
Linkoping, Sweden
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Figure 1. JAS 39 Gripen prototype.
Abstract
An overview of the aerodynamic development of the
multipurpose JAS 39 Gripen aircraft, figure 1, is pres-
ented in this paper. A summary of the different aerody-
namic layouts that were investigated leading to the
short-coupled delta-canard layout is made. The aero-
dynamic refinement and optimization of the configura-
tion for the Swedish Air Force requirements is de-
scribed. The aircraft is an advanced single engine de-
sign incorporating:
e Short-coupled delta canard configuration with an
all-moving canard
e Cross-sectional area distribution optimized for spe-
cific Mach number range
Side-mounted pitot type air intakes optimized for
good supersonic acceleration.
e Negative inherent static longitudinal stability for im-
proved performance, made possible by a full time
electrical flight control system (EFCS)
Automatically actuated wing leading edge flaps
Trim function automatically balanced between ca-
nard and wing elevon for optimum performance
Flight testing started in December 1988.
Approximately 300 aircraft will be produced.
Currently, three prototypes are undergoing flight testing
in Linkoping, Sweden.
~ ~ ~~~
* Head of Aerodynamics
* * Project manager, JAS 39 Aerodynamics,
AlAA member
Page 1
The aerodynamic characteristics have thus far been
verified to exhibit equal or better performance than
predicted.
Introduction
JAS 39 Gripen is Swedens new light combat aircraft.
It will replace all versions of the Saab Viggen and, Dra-
ken aircraft starting in 1993 and will remain in service
well into the next century. By use of modern technolo-
gy it has been possible to design an aircraft, which
will perform three combat aircraft roles in one single
version. The acronym JAS stands for the Swedish
words Jakt (fighter), Attack and Spaning (Reconnais-
sance)
In the fighter role, the Gripen will carry medium range
and short range air-to-air missiles and a built-in
27 mm cannon. Target aquisition is mainly by means
of a high-power pulse-Doppler radar.
Despite a low aircraft weight, the Gripen is designed
to carry heavy and varied weapon loads. The ground
attack weapons include air-to-ground missiles, con-
ventional and guided bombs, bomb dispensers and
air-to-surface missiles.
For seaborne targets, radar is used for target aquisi-
tion and the main weapon is the Saab RB 15 air-to-
sea missile.
Reconnaissance missions can be carried out in all
light and visibility conditions by use of electrooptical
sensors and radar. Most reconnaissance equipment IS
carried in an external pod.

Preliminary design studies for the new aircraft started
at Saab in 1979. A proposal was presented to the
Swedish Defence Materiel Administration in the middle
of 1981 and a contract for the development of five pro-
totypes and delivery of an initial batch of thirty Gripen
aircraft, including support systems, was signed on
June 30,1982.
Four Swedish companies through the common compa-
ny IG JAS, are cooperating in the development of the
aircraft. Saab Aircraft Division is responsible for the
development and production of the aircraft and sys-
tems integration. International Marketing is also hand-
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led by Saab.
Volvo Flygmotor AB is responsible for the further de-
velopment and manufacture of the engine in coopera-
tion with General Electric.
Ericsson Radar Electronics is responsible for the de-
velopment and manufacture of the electronic display
system, equipment for video recording, the multipur-
pose radar and standardized computing systems.
F N Aerotech is responsible for the development and
manufacture of maintenance equipment and provides
depot maintenance.
The first of the five prototypes made its maiden flight
on December 9th 1988. Flight testing, delayed one
year due to the loss of the first prototype in February
1989, is scheduled to last until 1995. The first series-
manufactured aircraft is planned to be delivered to the
Swedish Air Force in 1993.
Basic requirements
The Gripen specification was finalized in the beginning
of the 1980s after tactial studies made jointly by the
Swedish Air Force, the Defence Materiel Administra-
tion, the Defence Research Establishment and Swed-
ens aerospace industry. Possible battle scenarios
were examined and the influence on the project re-
quirements was investigated. Economy dictated that
the earlier trend towards heavier and more expensive
aircraft be broken. Thus, in addition to combat effec-
tiveness, small size/low weight, which also leads to
low cost, was an important requirement in the design
process of the Gripen. Using the Viggen, Swedens
current front-line fighter, as a reference, a tough goal
was set for the new design.
0 Half the weight
0 Equal weapons load
0 Essential performance equal or better
An important concept in Swedish strategic military
thinking is the Air Base 90 system. In a war situation
all military aircraft will be rapidly dispersed to a great
number of temporary bases, where ordinary roads will
Page 2
be used as landing strips, making the Air Force less
vulnerable to enemy attack. This strategy places spe-
cial demands on the aircrafts ability to opera?efrom
short and extremely narrow runways. This is made
possible by low take-off and landing speeds, excel-
lent handling qualities and with tailor-made electrical
flight control system modes. The Gripen is designed
to operate independently of complex ground support
systems. A built in auxiliary power unit (APU) cont-
ributes to its high degree of autonomy. Flight line ser-
vice is carried out by conscripts.
With a limited number of aircraft operating from many
bases, multi-role capability is of considerable value.
The requirements stated, that three combat aircraft
roles, fighter, attack and reconaissance, be performed
in a single aircraft version. It must be possible to
change between all three roles without any hardware
or software changes, and the mission change must
be made in a matter of minutes. It also follows, that
the aircraft in the ground attack role must be able to
carry a large variety of external stores including heavy
weapons usually carried by larger aircraft.
The choice of layout in the design process of the air-
craft was determined by these basic requirements and
by the detailed requirements for each of the three
combat roles set forth in the Project Specification Re-
quirements as a result of the joint stydies. In general,
different requirements imply different and sometimes
contradictory design solutions. Balancing all require-
ments to an optimal compromise can result in different
layouts depending on the significance placed on each
requirement in relation to the others.
Fuel volume required and the mix between internal fuel
and fuel carried in external drop tanks was determined
by combat patrol, ground attack and reconnaissance
missions containing specified mission segments.
For the fighter, role, maneuverability, acceleration and
top speed are important features. For the ground at-
tack and the reconaissance roles store carrying capa-
bility and range are of great importance. Based on
conclusions drawn from the tactical studies, the re-
quirements on maneuverability, acceleration and
speed were favoured in the balance between the dif-
ferent requirements attached to the three roles of the
aircraft.
As a consequence, the Gripen was structurally de-
signed for a 9g load factor capability. High instanta-
neous and sustained turn rates and small turn radii in
the subsonic speed range were important require-
ments. Also, buffeting due to flow separation during L
maneuver must be avoided by proper aerodynamic
design of the wing system.
Speed performance requirements stated, that the Gri-
pen must be supersonic in level flight in combat con-
figuration at all altitudes.

These requirements mainly concern handling qualities
and flight performance. Other requirements not direcily
related to flight performance did, however, affect or
influence the aerodynamic design of the aircraft.
These requirements included maintenance (easy ac-
cess to systems hardware for inspection and service),
radar performance (nose cone diameter and blunt-
ness), pilot vision in combat and in landing approach
on a nanow base 90 road (large cockpit) etc.
The requirements considered most important are sum-
marized below
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0 Operation from short/narrow runways
- low take-off and approach speeds
- good handling qualities in the air and on the
ground
- pilot vision requirements
- effective wheel braking
0 Built in auxiliary power unit (APU) for autonomy
0 High instantaneous and sustained turn rates/low
turn radii
0 Low buffeting levels
0 Supersonic speed at all altitudes
0 Good store carrying capability
0 Mission range requirements
Aerodynamic layout
Basic design conditions
The initial design studies at Saab centered around the
basic layout selection. An obvious guiding principle
was simplicity. Certain decisions were made early
based on previous studies and inhouse experience.
One or two man crew
The one man configuration decision was based on
experience from previous combat aircraft. New cockpit
design incorporating Electronic Display Systems
would contribute to the effective use of the aircraft on
all types of missions without increasing the pilot work-
load above that on earlier types.
Flight Control System
The development of multi-channel electrical flight con-
trol systems had reached such a state of maturity in
respect to reliability, weight and cost, that a real
choice from a standpoint of total airplane efficiency
could be made between a coQventional,mechanical
flight control system and a fly-by-wire system.
Page 3
Independently of the airplane layout, it was concluded
that the FBW-system was superior compared to a
conventional system in the following aspects:
0 Control functions and performance
0 Damage tolerance
0 Reliability
0 Maintenance and test
0 Growth potential.
Thus, an early decision was made in favour of a digital
FBW-system. This also made it possible to enhance
flight performance by making the studied configura-
tions basically unstable in pitch, obtaining artificial
stability from the electrical flight control system in con-
stant operation. An inherent instability of 5-10 percent
MAC in subsonic cruise was assumed for all studied
configurations.
Single or Twin Engine
The single engine versus twin engine question has two
aspects. Firstly, from a safety aspect the initial prefer-
ence from the Swedish Air Force was a twin engine
configuration. The experience from the twin engine
Saab 105 Trainer indicated an advantage over a single
engine configuration. Secondly, from a strictly techni-
cal aspect, a single engine concept usually leads to
lower weight, less aerodynamic drag and lower cost.
The deciding factor, however, was the availability of
suitable engines for a single engine layout, such as
the General Electric F404 and the Rolls Royce RB199.
Improved versions of'these engines were also in pros-
pect. No good choice for a twin engine configuration
was available.
More powerful engines like the Pratt & Whitney FlOO
and the PW 1120 were also studied, but the require-
ments could be met with the smaller F404 engine at a
significantly lower cost.
Layout Evaluation
The layout studies initially included a variety of differ-
ent layouts, but soon concentrated on two alternate
design principles: a close-coupled delta canard con-
figuration and a more conventional aft tail configura-
tion designated 2105 and 2102 respectively. For these
studies the F404 engine was chosen; however, the
choice of engine was not supposed to have any signif-
icant influence on the relative merits of the configura-
tions. The wing loadings on these two layouts were
chosen to give a common landing approach speed,
and an effort was made to design both configurations
towards the specified requirementsfor
Previous air intake studies had shown promising re-
sults for a dorsal intake, and a derivative of the aft tail
configuration featuring this intake concept, 2107, was
included in the study. These configurations are shown
in Figure 2-4.
 Page 4

For these three configurations, particularly 2105 and

2102, detailed design, structure and systems installa-
tion studies were carried out. An analysis of essential
characteristics was made, and the results formed the
basis for the selection of a reference configuration for
further refinements and the development of the final
m
aircraft.

I
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Figure 3. Delta canard configuration 2105.

Figure 2. Aft tail configuration 2102.

Figure 4. Conflgurafion 2107 with dorsal intake.

 Page 5

It is a delicate task to make a fair comparative evalua- Weight

tion of the different merits of candidate airplane lay-
The combat weight of the aft tail 2102 configuration
outs. It is not possible to keep all significant perform-
came out 3 percent higher than on the 2105 delta ca-
ance characteristics the same for each configuration
nard configuration.
ending up with a final total price-tag to compare for
each airplane. Some characteristics will be different Both configurations had about the same amount
and the contribution of each one of these to total com- (30 %) of carbon fiber composite material in the struc-
bat effectivness varies. In this study, the technical re- ture. CFC is mainly used in the lifting surfaces.
sults came out close. The 2107 aircraft did show ad-
vantages in weight and some performance aspects,
and could have been a serious contender had it not Low speed performance
been dropped because of too high technical risks with
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the air intake position.
A comparison of some major characteristics for the
two remaining configurations as they were at the time
when the layout selection was made in December
1980 is given below. Futher optimization would have
improved both layouts, but, of course, refinements
were only carried out on the winner.
The philosophy of operating from dispersed road
bases leads to requirements on low take-off and land-
ing speeds, but also on good forward visibility for the
pilot. Thus, the angle of attack in the approach for a
no-flare landing is geometry limited to enable the pilot
to see the touchdown point. As a consequence, the lift
potential of the delta canard 2105 layout is not fully
utilized during landing approach. Both configurations
were designed for the same approach speed resulting
in approximately 7 percent less wing area required on
the 2102.

Instability level
High speed performance
Slightly different inherent instability levels were chosen
The total cross sectional areas of the two configura-
for the canard and the aft tail configuration, typically
10 percent M A C at cruise conditions for the 2105 and
tions in cuts perpendicular to the length-axis, i. e. cor-
responding to M = 1.O, are shown in Figure 5. In Fig-
5 percent for the 2102. We consider, that the margin for
ure 6, the mean cross sectional area distributions of
an aft tail configuration, where overloading and stall-
ing of the trim surface would aggravate the situation cuts at angles corresponding to M = 1.1 are given. At
M = 1, canard configurations tend to obtain an unfavor-
by increasing the instability should be bigger than for
able saddle-form. Howewer, by careful local fuselage
a canard configuration, where trim surface stall tends
to stabilize the airplane. This is a consequence of a
design, this tendancy is not pronounced for the 2105
basic difference between the two layout principles and has disappeared completely at M = 1.l . Max
cross sectional area is some 9 percent lower for 2105
compared.
in comparison with the 2102.
On a canard aircraft a significant contribution to the
desired instability level is obtained from the movable CROSS-SFCTIONAL
canard. By removing this contribution, the airplane I I
AREA 1
turns slightly stable or neutral in pitch. On an aft-tail
configuration the opposite effect is obtained. These
characteristics of a canard airplane are used on the
Gripen in a flight control system back-up mode, where
the canard surfaces are feathered and allowed to free-
float in the air stream. The resulting increase in pitch
stability relaxes the demand on control surface rate
and, consequently, on the hydraulic system capacity.
In the extremely remote event of total loss of hydraulic
power, when the fully unstable aircraft would diverge
too rapidly for pilot safety, this feature will stabilize the
aircraft long enough for the pilot to eject. LENGTH
SV39 867
Also, the gain in low speed lift at approach angle of Figure 5. Cross sectional area distribution less air
attack and in lift dependent drag is less pronounced intake at M = 1.0.
on an aft tail aircraft than it is on a delta canard for an
increase in pitch instability.

CRO! -SECTIC
AREA
J taken into account. In addition to flight performance,
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LENGTH
sv39 ma
Figure 6. Cross sectional area distribution less air
intake at M = 1.1.
Of particular importance to supersonic wave drag is
the slope of the area distribution towards the aft end
of the aircraft. The absence of an aft tail and the for-
ward position of the wing on the fuselage, necessary
for the desired instability in pitch, makes it possible to
obtain an aerodynamically clean aft end on the canard
configuration with a favorable area distribution.
Zero lift drag for the two configurations is shown in
Figure 7. The canard configuration is slightly better at
subsonic speeds. At supersonic Mach numbers, the
difference is quite significant.
CD@
4 ZERO LIFT DRAG
MACH
sv 39 891
Figure 7. Zero lift drag
Turn performance
For sustained turn performance, high Oswald efficien-
cy factor e and, even more, low wing span loading are
important parameters Both of these are more easily
obtained on a wing-tail than on a delta canard config-
uration For supersonic drag reasons, the 2105 canard
camber was kept small as compared to an optimum
canard designed for subsonic maneuver Thus, with a
Page 6
conventional wing design, the 2102 obtained the high-
est e-factor. At supersonic speed, the zero lift drag is
a more dominant parameter, leading to approximately
10 percent higher maneuver performance for delta ca-
nard 2105.
Final selection
In the layout selection several characteristics, some of
which are not directly related to aerodynamics, were
specific characteristics considered of major impor-
tance included:
0 Structural weight/cost
0 Pilot vision in combat and landing
0 Store carrying capability
Gun installation with respect to local environment
0 Radar cross section
0 Development risk
0 Life cycle cost.
In the technical evaluation, no single virtue alone was
decisive in the selection of the delta canard configura-
tion. However, weighing all the pros and cons when
compared to the aft-tail contender, the canard airplane
was found to be the best candidate to meet the stipu-
lated requirements from both technical and economi-
cal points of view.
One additional important aspect was, that the delta-
canard was considered to offer better possibilites for
optimization of flight characteristics with the fly by wire
system and to have better potential for the incorpora-
tion of unconventional control modes, e.g. futher de-
velopment of direct lift, direct sideforce for fuselage
aiming, gust alleviation etc. Another example is the
landing ground roll-out mode described in the next
chapter.
The final decision to select the delta-canard concept
for futher refinement and optimization was made in
December 1980. An extra bonus in this selection was
the benefits of earlier in-house experience with the
Viggen delta canard aircraft.
Development oft h e delta canard
configuration
Wing
Adhering to the Viggen Concept of a close-coupled
canard configuration using the vortex lift interaction
philosophy was a basic choice Vortex flow IS as-
sumed from moderate to high angles of attack This
means that the sweep angles of the wing and canard
must be sufficiently large to ensure stable leading
edge vortices, thus avoiding strong non-linearities
and buffet With lower sweep this could be a problem,
especially in the transonic region However thls re-

quirement for high wing sweep is in contrast to those
essential for good subsonic turn performance favour-
ing low sweep and large wing span. A comprise
choice of planform had to be made, and a leading
edge flap was incorporated in order to keep good flow
quality over the wing. Leading edge flap deflection at
maneuver conditions in conjunction with camber and
twist on the wing is not primarily intended to keep the
flow attached, but rather to delay vortex burst and to
direct suction forces in a more forward direction so as
to decrease drag.
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To obtain basic characteristics for different wing plan-
forms, a matrix of wing and canard planforms was stu-
died already during the preliminary design phase in
1980/81. Wing sweep angles from 44 to 60 degress in
combination with canards of different sizes and plan-
forms were investigated. Most of these wing-canard
configurations were also tested in low and high speed
wind tunnels.
The wing section chosen is based on a conventional
NACA type airfoil. Progress had been made with su-
percritical airfoils during a previous project phase on a
subsonicltransonic light attack aircraft (B3LA), which
was, however, subsequently cancelled. For a super-
sonic fighter a thickness to chord ratio too small to be
feasible for a supercritical airfoil has to be used.
Therefore a modified NACA 64A section was chosen,
with an increase in thickness in the rear part of the
section. Moderate camber and twist were optimized
for subsonic instantaneous and sustained turn rates
balanced with supersonic speed and acceleration re-
quirements using a panel method optimization pro-
cess.
Elevons
There are two wing trailing edge control surfaces on
each side. Both surfaces on each side, although inde-
pendently operated, move as one unit except at high
load factors, when the outboard elevon is used for
automatic maneuver load control, alleviating wing
bending moment.
Leading Edge Flap
The leading edge flap is automatically positioned to
J minimize drag and buffet at all flight conditions, there-
by optimizing the wing camber for turning maneuvers,
cruise and acceleration.
The leading edge flap system is fully automatic, being
actuated by one hydralic power unit through two me-
chanical rotary actuators on each side. The leading
Page 7
edge flap position is a function of Mach number and
angle of attack. At supersonic speeds the leading
edge flaps are positioned up, with a maximum deflec-
tion of 5 degrees. This in effect "decambers" the wing,
reducing the profile drag at low angles of attack and,
consequently, improves supersonic acceleration.
The effects of the wing leading edge flaps were sub-
stantiated in wind tunnel tests. An example of a drag
polar is given in Figure 8. A reduction of 10 percent,
illustrating the effect on lift dependant drag, is
obtained at Mach number 0.5 when the flaps are
deflected.
The beneficiary effect of leading edge flap deflection
on buffeting levels at Mach numbers from 0.5 to 0.8 is
shown in Figure 9. The figure shows the RMS values
on normal acceleration divided by dynamic pressure
at the wing tip of a half-model, measured by acceler-
ometers.
In addition to decreasing lift dependant drag and buf-
feting at maneuver conditions, the leading edge flap
also improves directional and lateral stabilily at high
angles of attack. This is shown in Figures 10 and 11.
The leading edge flap is limited in span to the out-
board part of the wing. Wind tunnel tests showed, that
some futher improvements could be obtained when
the flap was extended inboards towards the side of
the fuselage. The extra gain however, was relatively
small due to the reduced load on the inboard part of
the wing, being in the down-wash field from the ca-
nard. Full span leading edge flaps would have in-
volved a heavier and more complicated flap mecha-
nism and a reduced inboard wingbox, outweighing the
benefits.
M = 0.50
dLE = Oo
dLE = 30
p
I I
- 02 0 02 04 06 08 1 ~ C Lsv39869
Figure 8. Effect of LE flaps on lift deoendant drag
 Page 8

ci P

7 I
ALPHAo
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Figure 11. Effect of LE flaps lateral stability at low

speed.

0 5 10 15 20 ALPHAo For take-off and landing the leading edge flap is kept
sv39 a70 in neutral position for optimum vortex lift. Deflecting
the flaps during landing approach would result in a
Figure 9. Effect of LE flaps on the buffeting level at loss in trimmed lift.
different Mach numbers.
At an angle of attack approximately 5 degrees above
that used for take-off and landing, the leading edge
flaps are automatically deflected for improved direc-
tional and lateral stability.

Canard
The movable canard is an important improvement
compared to the Viggen, which uses a fixed canard
with trailing edge flaps for increased canard trim lift
during take-off and landning. A movable canard sur-
face in combination with the four elevons, rudder and
leading edge flaps, controlled by the EFCS, intro-
duces many possibilities to improve flight perform-
ance and handling qualities in addition to unconven-
tional control modes.
It is possible to obtain a choice of either maximum lift
to drag ratio .or maximum lift, depending on what is
needed at a specific flight condition, using the canard
and trailing edge control surfaces in combination. At
?
cruise and maneuver conditions the canard and ele-
sv39 87 t von deflections are optimized for low trim drag. At low
speed, high lift is desired for short field performance I
rather than low drag. The emphasis is then to carry a
Figure IO. Effect of LE flaps on directional stability at high load on the canard to allow a substantial lift in-
low speed. crease by deflecting the wing elevon trailing edge
down for trim. Available space on the sidemounted air
intake is limiting for the canard size. Thus, to obtain a
high trim load on the canard, good canard high lift
 Page 9

characteristics were important in the choice of the

planform for the close-coupled canard.

In landing roll-out mode, the canard surfaces are de-

flected nose-down for aerodynamic braking,
Figure 12. The nose-down pitching moment from the
down-load of the canard is balanced by wing trailing
edge up deflection. Thus, in addition to increasing
drag, this feature drastically improves road contact
and wheel braking by creating negative lift, reducing
landing roll-out distance by 15-20 percent.

The canard surfaces are operated independently by

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hydralic actuators. The surfaces are monitored by the

EFCS to move as a unit.
Asymmetric deflection is possible for direct side force
and yaw control. This is also used in a back-up
mode, should the rudder become inoperative.

Figure 13. AS 39 6 t h speed brakes extended.

Air intake
As a reference configuration side-mounted pitot type
intakes were chosen, but the pros and cons of other
air intake locations were also investigated.
A version of the 2105 configuration with a belly intake
was considered, Figure 14. The problem of FOD in-
gestion when operating from road strips and the short-
er wheel base impairing ground handling were the
main causes of outruling this configuration, although a
weight reduction was gained.

Figure 12. JAS 39 in landing roll-out mode.

Speed brakes

As previously mentioned the wing is located well for-

ward on the fuselage in order to obtain the desired
instability level, allowing a long clean tail and an inte-
gral engine boat-tail giving low base drag. Two large
clam-shell airbrakes were built symmetrically into the
Figure 14. Configuration with ventral air intake.
tail region without significant drag penalty, giving good
deceleration capability coupled with only minor trim Another concept investigated were shortened side-
changes, easily handled by the EFCS when deployed, mounted intakes located behind and under the canard,
Figure 13. Figure 15.

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Figure 15. Configuration with air intake shielded by
the canard.
Wind tunnel tests performed on a schematic forebody
with this type of intake at low speed revealed several
advantages. Significant angle of attack improvements
relative to the unshielded inlet (no canard) was noted
in pressure recovery and distortion level for the unde-
flected canard, Figure 16 and 17. Aerodynamic un-
loading of the canard to obtain a recovery in pitch re-
duced the shielding effect, as can be expected, but
also gave a serious reduction in yaw stability at high
angles of attack. At positive canard incidences flow
separation on the canard and at the fuselage junction
was observed especially at the lower intake mass flow
ratios that occur at high speed.
PTJPT~
INLET PRESSURE
RECOVERY
M = .18
Ag/A, = 2.9
b=o 1 reduced the development risks.
I
ALPHA0
Figure 16. Inlet pressure recovery of shielded air
intake with schematic fore body.
Page 10
INLET FLOW
DISToRTloN UNSHIELDED
.* I
I
dc = -15'
- a,I = 00 !
n.
~
SV3Q 073
ALPHAo
Figure 17. Inlet flow distortion of shielded air intake
with schematic fore body
Both of these concepts, the belly and the shielded
inlets, also had disadvantages in the form of higher
supersonic drag, the need for a larger canard because
of the reduced carry-over loads as compared to the
side-mounted intake concept, reduced available
space for external pylons on the fuselage, a compli-
cated gun and landing gear installation and a higher
radar cross sectional area.
Thus, the side-mounted swept and staggered bifur-
cated inlets were retained as they were found to offer
the best allround performance, and also, because it
Drag reduction
Although the 2105 configuration in the evaluation was
superior to the aft tail 2102 in supersonic performance,
supersonic drag was still of major concern. An ambi-
tious goal of reducing supersonic wave drag by 20
percent was established. Tough requirements on re-
duced maximum cross-sectional area and an opti-
mized area distribution in the low supersonic Mach
number region led to comprehensive fuselage rede-
sign. Configuration 2108, also comprising a new, more
swept wing with a compound trailing edge sweep was
defined, Figure 18. The cross sectional area distribu-
tion for 2108 and 2105 are shown in Figure 19. The
fuselage cross section behind the canard is of a
marked blended-body type. The structural composi-
tion of this type of fuselage gives advantages both in
a large internal volume for easy installation of acces- "!
sories as well as low drag. f
i
 Page 11

_.nnn /" , :i
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I sv39 875

cnl I M = 0.95

I I I

I
L l u3
I
Figure 1%. Configuration 2108.

t SV39 876

Figure 20. Longitudinal stability

With a clean conventional delta wing on a small air-

craft it is difficult to combine high sweep with large
span needed for good sustained maneuvering capa-
bility, especially if the tip chord should house a missile
installation. A saw-tooth, although adding some zero
lift drag, will increase the tip chord without reducing
span or sweep, and will also help control vortex sepa-
LENGTH ration at high angles of attack.
sv39 890

Consequently, a new wing with a saw-tooth was fitted

Figure 19. Cross sectional area distribution less air to the 2108 fuselage to form a new reference configu-
intake ration, 21 IO, Figure 21. This was the final configuration
However, the 2108 wing introduced several problems, which was later, with some minor alterations, chosen
e.g concerning transonic pitch stability, Figure 20. for full scale development as the JAS 39 Gripen.

Downloaded by KUNGLIGA TEKNISKA HOGSKOLEN KTH on February 18, 2016 | http://arc.aiaa.org | DOI: 10.2514/6.1991-3195
Figure 2 1. Configuration 2 I 7 0.
Other drag reducing refinements were carried out dur-
ing this drag reduction effort. The canopy, designed
for good visibility, on a small aircraft contributes rela-
tively much to wave drag. The area distribution in this
region was smoothed by adding local area increases.
The originally round nose cross section was changed
into an oval shape derived from Supersonic Area Rule
and Euler calculations. "Cheekbags" were located in
such a way that at the chosen design Mach number
expansion waves from the "bags" extinguish the com-
pression wave emanating from the canopy, reducing
drag. The final cost in drag for the "good-visibility
canopy", compared to no canopy at all, is approxi-
mately 10 percent of the total supersonic wave drag.
The vertical tail was originally more swept and had
more aft location. Difficulties to house the rudder hy-
draulic cylinder and actuator in a streamwise direction
caused additional drag. The present fin, moved slight-
ly forward, with less sweep allowing an aerodynami-
cally cleaner rudder actuator installation, saved drag
and increased fin stiffness.
High angle of attack
Although the Gripen aircraft is not intented to operate
at extreme angles of attack - it is not a Post-Stall-
Maneuvering aircraft - extensive work was carried
Page 12
out to investigate this region and to make it possible
safely to regain normal flight conditions should the
aircraft accidently exceed the AOA limit set by the
EFCS. Static and dynamic forced oscillation as well as
rotary balance tests and "frisbee" type spin tests were
carried out to investigate departure resistance, spin
modes and recovery procedures. Also, dynamic wind
tunnel balance tests incorporating wind gusts and si-
multaneous ramp type pitch and control surface inputs
have been performed to investigate hysterisis effects
at high angles of attack.
Pitch recovery with full nose down control is shown in
Figure 22.The canard is deflected 50 degrees nose
down, and at angles of attack above 35 degrees the
airbrakes are automatically deployed, creating some
extra nose-down pitching moment.
I
sv39 a77
Figure 22.
The fairly common problem of strong yawing moment
at zero sideslip at high AOA, stochastically appearing
to the left or to the right, also showed up on the Gri-
pen. The problem, caused by asymmetric vortex shed-
ding on the nose, is-usually solved by adding a pair of
strakes to the nose. This was also the basic solution
for the Gripen, but another, new feature was an alter-
nate choice. A horizontal hole, a channel right through
the radome apex less than two inches in diameter,
was tested and found as successful as the strake in
eliminating the static yawing moment, Figure 23. This
looked promising as it was also considered to cause
less disturbance to radar performance than the strake
configuration at that time.
Looking at yawing moment versus sideslip angle at a
constant angle of attack, Figure 24, a significant differ-
ence between the strake and the hole effects is indi-
cated. While the strake eliminates the zero sideslip
yawing moment, the aircraft is still statically unstable
in yaw. The hole, however, seems to make the original
asymmetric S-formed curve symmetric in sideslip
angle, creating static stability for small angles of side-
slip.
 Page 13

C"
7
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Figure 23. Yawing moment characteristics at low

speed with different nose configurations at zero de-
grees of sideslip
C"
+
A = 60 SV39 079

Figure 25. Dynamic yawing moment at 60 degrees

BETA0
SV39 070
Figure 24. Static yawing moment at 60 degrees
angle of attack
The severe yawing moment is primarily a very local
effect. The statically stabilizing effect of the apex hole
should, consequently, lead to dynamic instability and
risk of autorotation. This was also found to be the
case in tests in a rotary balance rig, while the statically
unstable strake configuration proved to be dynamical-
ly damped, Figure 25.
angle of attack
Later studies indicate the hole to cause the dominat-
ing nose vortex to shift side and the yawing moment
to shift between the two yawing moment levels indi-
cated in Figure 24 such that almost a kind of static
"bang-bang" control is obtained, thus in a static situa-
tion creating a stabilizing yawing moment in the zero-
sideslip direction. Dynamic flight calculations, howev-
er, proved the dynamic effect of the hole to be domi-
nant, causing autorotation, and the hole was deleted
in favour of a strake.
The strake finally attached to the Gripen is quite small,
less than a foot long with only insignificant effects on
radar performance and drag.
Wing-canard joint Rockwell - Saab study
In the late seventies Rockwell International was in-
volved in the development of a new design research
concept called HiMAT. Low induced drag was the goal
and the means were "aeroelastically tailored" carbon
fiber composite wings on a canard remotely controlled
vehicle.
An aeroelastically tailored wing is designed to assume
a prescribed geometry at more than one flight condi-
tion as a result of the imposed aerodynamic and inter-
tia loads at those flight conditions. By optimizing twist
and camber distributions the object is to minimize
drag through tailored structural elastic effects.
Implementation of aeroelastic tailoring was made pos-
sible by the use of the nonisotropic stiffness of built-
up carbon fiber composites in the wing.
Discussions on these matters between Saab and
Rockwell started in 1980. Rockwell proposed a devel-
opment along the HiMAT lines on the JAS aircraft. This
 Page 14

would entail a philosophy of attached flow as op-

posed to the seperated leading edge flow favored for
the delta-canard reference configuration at the design
maneuvering condition.
m e primary design objective was to more emphasize
maneuverability without significantly sacrificing super-
sonic performance. Sustained turn performance could
be increased a substantial amount by the Rockwell
concept.
A joint Rockwell-Saab study was initiated to define
the potential in this concept and to evaluate the cost in
terms of increased complexity, technical risk and
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economy.
A project called 21 11 was defined in September 1981.
As a realistic starting point the fuselage and fin of proj-
ect 2108 was used with a new wing and canard incor-
porating the Rockwell design.
The wing design was optimized for subsonic turn per-
formance and supersonic acceleration in accordance
with the basic requirements.
In addition to aeroelastic tailoring, sophisticated flap
systems were needed in order to reconfigure from the
minimum cambered wing at supersonic speeds to the
highly cambered wing necessary to keep the flow at-
tached up to high lift coefficients in subsonic maneu- Figure 26. Join?Rockwell- Saab study configuration
vers. 21 17-4.
Optimization of the configuration geometry was ac- Comparatively complex structural design was applied
complished by a sequence of analytical design and on the 2111 in the effort to meet the design objectives.
wind tunnel test iterations performed jointly by Saab The wing flap system comprised three element full
and Rockwell. span leading and trailing edge flaps. The outboard
Four subvariants were derived in the design process two elements of the leading edge flap were double-
with slightly different geometric properties. The final hinged for optimal camber in subsonic maneuvers,
version, 2111-4, is shown in Figure 26. Compared to Figure 27. Spanwise blowing was introduced to in-
the reference delta-canard configuration 21 10, the crease canard authority in landing approach, but was
wing area could be kept some 13 percent smaller, the subsequently replaced by a canard flap. "Back-porch''
wing leading edge sweep was 10 degress less while type air brakes were also used as longitudinal trim
the span was 9 percent larger. devices and for pitch control at high angles of attack.

Figure 27. Double-hinged flap mechanism on con-

figuration 2 1 1 1.
 Page 15

m e structural complexity contributed to a higher

weight, approximately 3 percent, on the 2111 as com- BUFFETING LEVEL, W-MODEL
grms
pared to the 2110 configuration.

Difficulties were encountered in obtaining the aero-

elastic tailoring goals while at the same time retaining
sufficient wing stiffness to meet lateral control require-
ments in the transonic high dynamic pressure flight
regime. As a consequence, more of the camber and
twist needed to enhance maneuvering capability had
to be built into the wing permanently, resulting in high-
er supersonic drag in addition to the drag increase
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due to lower sweep and increased span as compared

to the 21 10 configuration. The penalty paid was signifi- '2111
cant. Supersonic zero lift drag was 20 to 25 percent
higher than for the 21 10, Figure 28.
110

,,/'
0* -. - 2111-r
'-*

21 10 I
b 10 ALPHA' 20
SV39 881

4 Figure 29. Buffeting levels of 21 10 and 21 11 at differ-

ent Mach numbers.

The penalties, though, paid in maximum speed and

c
svs9 880
Figure 28. Zero lift drag.
The study, which was concluded by October 1982,
confirmed that significant maneuvering improvements
could be obtained with the Rockwell concept. In spite
of the weight penalty, the larger span and the excellent
Oswald factor obtained by means of the sophisticated
wing and canard flap systems, resulted in a sustained
subsonic turn rate improvement over the 21 10 in the
order of 17 percent.
The transonic buffeting level of 21 11 was rather low as
long as attached flow existed on the wing Flow sepa-
ration occurs at approximately 12 degress angle of
attack, resulting in an abrupt and very significant in-
crease in buffeting, Figure 29 In comparison the buf-
feting level of the deltawinged 21 10 is moderate and
only gradually increasing with apha
supersonic acceleration due to the higher drag were
substantial. Finally, the development and production
costs and the technical risks with the 21 11 concept
were considered too high. The conclusion of the study
led to the decision to continue with the reference delta
canard concept.
Wind tunnel program
When the JAS System Definition phase started in 1980
a substantial wind tunnel program was initiated to ac-
complish a layout selection by an early date. At first,
this involved preliminary configuration designs. Aft tail
configurations with moderately swept wings, pure del-
tas and canard layouts were investigated in low and
high speed tests.
This early phase of preliminary design studies was
concluded by late 1981 when a preliminary configura-
tion with a swept delta canard was chosen as a refer-
ence for further refinement. This configuration was giv-
en the wind tunnel model designation TK1 for Type
Configuration 1. Modifications were run under designa-
tion TK 1 MOD. Final wind tunnel models (TK 2) with
production geometry were available by the spring of
1984. The different test periods are shown in
Figure 30. 39B is the two seat version.
 Page 16

The total number of wind tunnel testing hours are more

than 10000 hours divided roughly equal between low
JAS 39 WIND TUNNEL PROGRAM and high speed.

Gripenwggen comparison
As previosly mentioned, the performance goals re-
n lated in a general way to the performance of
Sweden's current front line combat aircraft, the Saab
JA 37 Viggen. Some important predicted JAS Gripen
data are compared to actual JA 37 data in Figures
31 -33.
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The landing ground roll distances for the two aircraft

82 84 86
are shown in Figure 31. It should be noted, that the
YEAR
SV39 865 Viggen is equipped with a thrust reverser, which is not
the case with the Gripen. Low approach speed and
the special landing roll-out mode described earlier
Figure 30. JAS 39 wind tunnel test periods.
give the Gripen landing roll-out distances comparable
The joint Saab-Rockwell effort on configuration 21 11 with those of the Viggen. The broken curves are ex-
was run as a separate effort until late 1982 when it plained by a change in approach angle of attack
was terminated. above certain weights.
In the JAS 39 wind tunnel program a large number of
different tests has been run to validate the aerodynam-
ic layout. I

These tests included:

0 Static balance tests
- low speed, high and low AOA
- high speed
0 Flow vizualisation tests
0 Buffet level tests
0 Control surface balance tests DRY RUNWAY
0 Pressure measurement tests / ISA
0 Aft body tests
0 External stores balance and grid tests -JAS
0 External stores drop tests --- JA 379WITH REVERSER
Forced oscillation dynamic tests
0
- low speed high and low AOA
- high speed
- control surface angular velocity tests 0
I 1 2 3 4
WEIGHT OF FUEL AND EXTERNAL LOAD
5 6
0 Rotary balance tests METRIC TON
sv39896

0 Spin tunnel tests

0 Wind gusts/forced ramp pitch and control surface Figure 31. Landing ground roll distance for JAS 39
input Gripen and JA 37 Viggen.
0 Engine inlet tests
0 Flutter tests Sustained turn rate at low altitude is shown in
- components Figure 32. A substantial improvement over the Viggen
- complete models
is noted with the Gripen.

Different wind tunnels with suitable performance re-
garding Reynolds number, model scale and availabil-
ity have been used in the areodynamic development
program.
The low speed tunnels used include low and high
speed tunnels in Sweden, Switzerland, United King-
dom, Netherlands, France, Canada and US,
One important requirement was low life-cycle cost. An
indication of in-service operational cost for the Gripen
in comparison with the Viggen as a representative of
current generation combat aircraft is presented in Fig-
ure 33, where fuel consumption over distance versus
Mach number is presented. Fuel economy is signifi-
cantly better for the Gripen, with savings in the order of
30 - 50 percent.
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Figure 32.
-JAS 39
-
- - - JA 37
MAX POWE

'\

SV3Q 082

Sustainedturn rate at low altitude for JAS

39 Gripen and JA 37 Viggen.
improvement due to flap deflection.
Page 17

Zero lift drag Obtained from all flight tests evaluated in

this respect indicate lower drag than predictions. At
low supersonic Mach numbers the difference is signifi-
cant.

Also lift dependent drag is lower than expected. S O far

most of the testing has been performed with Versions
of the EFCS, where the automatic variation of the lead-
ing edge flaps was not engaged, i.e. the flaps were
fixed in a neutral position. Recent flights, with the auto-
matic flap variation included, confirm the predicted

Flight test stability and control data in general show

good agreement with predicted data. For instance, the
well-known crash landing following the sixth flight of
the first prototype, certainly one of the best recorded
and televised airplane accidents ever, could be very
accurately simulated all the way until ground impact
using predicted data together with actual control sur-
face inputs.

Some changes have been made, though, to predicted

aerodata in the transonic region in order to get a good
simulation. All flight test data indicate a more stable
aircraft at transonic Mach numbers than predicted,
which is shown in Figure 34. Most of the deviation was
due to local non-linearities in the canard contribution
to the total pitching moment, not sufficiently ac-
counted for in the aerodata representation. Also, ele-
vator effectiveness, Figure 35, is somewhat higher in
H=K\ - flight test than predicted in the transonic area for Mach

J
\
\ / numbers less than one, but the difference is within a
normal prediction accuracy band of 10 percent.
W
3
U

2
H=9KM

JAS 39
--- JA 37
MACH FLIGHT TEST

sv39 883 MACH

Figure 33. Fuel consumption at different altitudes for ORIGINALAERO DATA

JAS 39 Gripen and JA37 Viggen.
I MODIFIED AERO DATA

Flight Tests Results

\kk/
Three JAS 39 Gripen prototypes are presently (August
1991) undergoing flight testing at Saab in Linkoping,
Sweden. Test results obtained so far are encouraging.
Flight performance of the aircraft is better than ex- Figure 34. Predicted and flight test data on
pected. longitudinal sreibiliiy
 Page 18
~

MACH

ORIGINAL AERO DATA

MODlPlED AERO DATA

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Figure 35. Predicted and flight test data on longitudi-

nal control. Figure 36. JAS 39 Gripen

I Summary

The design program of the JAS 39 Gripen, Figure 36

has been described in this report with the emphasis
on the aerodynamic development process. The selec-
tion of the delta-canard layout was made after an
evaluation study with an aft-tail configuration as the
prime contender. The development program, including
extensive wind tunnel testing paired with analythical
studies has resulted in a light weight combat aircraft
with performance and flight characteristics, which are
equal to or better than stipulated requirements. Flight
test results obtained so far indicate better perform-
ance than predictions.