Strange air intake shape

[hesham]

Hi,

here is very strange air intake shape,it was from the wing,but I never
see like this before.
http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1949/1949%20-%201979.html

 

[TomS]

It's called a NACA duct or scoop. The design is actually very common for auxiliary applications: bringing in cooling air for avionics, for example. It's not as common as a jet engine intake, but has been used occasionally, mainly on missiles for some reason. I'm pretty sure Matador/Mace used one. Harpoon may as well. I'm sure there are others I'm forgetting.

 

[bipa]

Harpoon definitely, and AGM-129, Tomahawk Bk IV as well.
The reason is probably a space-saving trade-off...?

 

[Jemiba]

The NACA intake was used in the Miles M.100 student, too, not
a missile or for an auxiliary engine, but a very real aircraft.
(from Aeroplane Monthly 9.97)

 

[sferrin]

And don't forget the North American F-93

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_American_YF-93

 

[Trident]

AFAIK it quite simply doesn't work as well with large mass flows. So it is a viable solution for scooping cooling air or for a small engine on a cruise missile but not for a modern fighter.

The Russian Klub-series missiles also use this design, an obvious choice for a missile which is supposed to launch from torpedo tubes since it is flush with the airframe.

 

[Barrington Bond]

Got to mock up only this one

 

[Loon]

The BD-5J (AKA the coors light silver bullet at air shows) uses them.