Trefftz-Plane Drag Minimization at Transonic Speeds

Traditionally, transonic wing design focuses on tailoring of pressure distributions, with little attention paid to spanwise lift distribution. While off-design considerations may constrain the span loading, it is useful nonetheless to know the optimal span loading. Further, induced drag minimization is useful for integration of other components with the wing, such as winglets and engine nacelles. An optimization scheme has been developed allowing Trefftz-plane drag minimization on complete aircraft configurations using high-order panel methods and full-potential CFD codes. Two applications of Trefftz-plane drag minimization for component integration are demonstrated.