Whatever happened to the Mission Adaptive Wing?

Back in the Eighties NASA was involved in the Mission Adaptive wing programme, the MAW had no flaps or ailerons but the wing itself flexed along the leading and trailing edge, like a very advanced form of wing warping, leaving completely smooth and unbroken upper and lower surfaces.

I know that prototype wings were flown on a converted F-111 and the technology was part of the research programme towards the ATF "and other fighter programnmes", whatever that meant. Clearly neither the F-22 or F-23 use the fruits of this reasearch so I was wondering if anyone knew what became of it. Was it a failure, or has it gone 'black'?

It probably is still not developed enough to warrent use on in service aircraft. As far as is it black - who knows?

Its currently called wing morphing. Nasa is still researching it and dont expect to see one flying for 25 years.

Morph wing 2030

Is this what your talking about?

[edit on 28-10-2004 by Murcielago]

Heres a couple more programs involving wings.

Active Aeroelastic Wing (AAW)

Darpa

Of those links the first one is probably the closest, but not really the same as that seems to talk more of the wing actually changing shape, which is amazing.

Here's a picture I've found of the plane I meant. It said in the 'Flight' article I found out the other day that it would revolutionise aircraft control in twenty years time, well that article is almost twenty years old, which made wonder.

We are working on it.

I am more of a controls/flight dynamics type guy, and we are working on vehicle characterization and control theory in parallel with the structural people who are solving the frankly more difficult problem of radically altering geomety during flight.

No dates. Sorry...

I am also working at a flexible wing for a sailplane: first trailing edge, you can see at www.youtube.com... I think it´s a patent problem. US 6276641, adaptive flow body is the same, but first.