Landing Gear Design in the Conceptual Design Phase

A well designed landing gear and a proper integration is of utmost importance for the success of any aircraft design. This should never be neglected but often is, especially in the conceptual design stage. This paper reflects the author’ s own experience in landing gear design on the Saab Gripen aircraft as well as experience gained on aircraft conceptual designs of later dates. The aim of the paper is to underline the importance of spending more time on landing gear design and integration in conceptual design. The paper reflects the importance of proper interaction between landing gear design and other disciplines and above all underlines the fact that landing gear design should be treated as an equally important design parameter, just as any other, in the final choice of aircraft configuration.