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Multidisciplinary
Design, Analysis, and
Optimization Branch
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EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES: THE NASA AEROQUIZ
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Week of 10/16/00:
Q:
Some fighter aircraft have phony canopies painted on their
undersides. Why?
A:
For the same reason many animals, such as some moths or butterflies,
have fake eyes on their bodies or wings. In a fight with a bird,
a moth might escape if the bird mistakes a bright, fake eye on the
moth's wing for the real thing. The bird bites the "eye," and the
moth escapes with just a nick taken out of the wing. Likewise, in a
dogfight, an enemy fighter might mistake a fake canopy for the real
thing and become confused as to the actual orientation and direction
of flight of the target aircraft. All it may take is a split second
of indecision in the mind of the enemy for the target to gain an
advantage and either escape or become the hunter instead of the hunted.
Some ships have used "dazzle" paint schemes in the past to the same
effect. Such paint schemes were certainly visible, but they broke up
the ships' outlines and made direction and speed calculations
difficult for targeteers' firing solutions.
Congratulations to Norm Worthen.
If you can confuse your opponent in air-to-air combat, even
for a moment, you might be able to gain a favorable position on him!
Forward-swept wings may also cause a momentary disorienting effect.
- The Aeroquiz Editor
The remainder of October's questions were lost due to a
disk crash. Sorry!
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