A study of performance increase that could result from applying advanced aerodynamic concepts to large, long-range military transport aircraft showed that laminar flow control (LFC) offered the largest potential. A more in-depth design study then investigated the impact of LFC on the performance, weight, fuel consumption, and economics of a military transport designed to carry 350,000 Ib 10,000 nmi. Tlte design study identifies the optimum wing planform and cruise speed, the relative performance increases from different amounts of LFC, and sensitivities to the major LFC uncertainty items; i.e., increased systems weight, complexity, and maintenance, which can only be quantified by design, development, and flight test.
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