An unusual design of a light fighter jet has been patented in Russia, solving one of the main problems of combat aviation — reducing takeoff and landing speed without losing cruise performance. It is an aircraft built according to the "flying wing" scheme with a vertically separable wing capable of changing configuration directly in flight.
The key feature of the development is a two-part wing consisting of lower and upper sections. In cruise mode, they combine into a single load-bearing element and function like a conventional wing without degrading speed characteristics. Before takeoff and landing, the upper part rises on movable brackets and can change its angle of attack.
During landing, the upper section is set to a positive angle of attack, sharply increasing lift. This makes it possible to reduce landing speed and shorten runway length. During the rollout phase, the upper part of the wing is set to a negative angle — the aircraft brakes intensively by aerodynamic means, without the use of braking parachutes.
For stability in the raised position, the upper part of the wing is equipped with additional fins that suppress oscillations. The lower section received wingtips deflected by 45 degrees, which improves controllability and maneuverability.
The problem of hard landing is addressed separately: the landing gear wheels are equipped with air turbines that spin them up with the oncoming airflow even before touching the runway. This reduces impact load and wear on the struts.
The aircraft is intended to be equipped with jet engines with thrust vector control and ejectors that improve efficiency. As a result, the developers obtained a fighter jet concept capable of operating from short and unprepared airfields while maintaining high speed and maneuverability.