MILAVIA Forum

Military Aviation => Military Aircraft => Topic started by: #Leo# on October 31, 2007, 02:21:32 PM

Title: Need BIG help with Gripen airfoil !!!
Post by: #Leo# on October 31, 2007, 02:21:32 PM
To make a long story short, I'm a 26-years old student from Zagreb, Croatia. I study aeronautics on Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Naval Architecture, University of Zagreb.
I have a problem with finding some crucial info about JAS-39 Gripen. I really need to know what type of airfoil is used on Gripen, what type on main wing and what type on canards. Any geometry data could help also, some measurements of wing and canards. But, most important for me is to find what airfoil it uses.....so please if anybody know, I would be very grateful for your help.
P.S. I presume that it is something like NACA 64A204 like F-16, but must know egzactly!!!!!! Please help, I've looked everywhere!!
Title: Re: Need BIG help with Gripen airfoil !!!
Post by: Viggen on October 31, 2007, 08:06:46 PM
Welcome to Milavia Leo!

I dont think you will ever find out exactly the right compund its made of, belive its a well protected secret.  Are you guys trying to reversengineer our Gripen?  ;)

Geometrydata is not so hard to find, just check under "Aircraft". If that wont help, i suggest you buy a plasticmodel scale 1/72 and just take measurments, recalculate and voilá! You have pretty acurate numbers to play with.  Anotherway is to get your hands on a 3D model of the Gripen. There is a very nice and acurate model for FSX (flightsimulator). Much data can be found inside those files regarding geometry.

This is how i would do it.  :)
Title: Re: Need BIG help with Gripen airfoil !!!
Post by: #Leo# on October 31, 2007, 10:19:51 PM
viggen, thanx for the info and some good ideas.....don't worry, Croatia won't manufacture it's own fighter jet soon most likely,hahaha, but we might buy some Gripens from you....I think the dillema is F-16 or Gripen, but, however, politicians will have a final word about that...the reason I'm tryin to get my hands on airfoil data is because I'm doing some work on my University regarding Gripen, in my collegium named Flight Mechanics. So, if anybody else knows where should I look, please step foward:)....thanks
Title: Re: Need BIG help with Gripen airfoil !!!
Post by: Viggen on November 01, 2007, 12:36:19 AM
I can tell you that exact geometry measurments is also well protected secrets, does not matter if its the Gripen or any of the other new generation fighters. Like i said earlier, the closest you will ever get to an exact copy is by checking out a 3D animated model. I have the model myself.  :)

Well the F-16 is the better fighter, but the Gripen is cheaper and not far behind the Falcon. Most of us on Milavia do agree that its the engine that is letting the Gripen down. With a more powerful engine then it could seriously compete with the F-16.
Title: Re: Need BIG help with Gripen airfoil !!!
Post by: Webmaster on November 01, 2007, 04:06:28 AM
Hmm, have you tried to search in scientific papers from Swedish aerospace engineers or students? It's a national product, huge project, I'd think there would have been quite some research related or based on it outside the military/industry.

Or ask Saab? hehe, who knows.

Welcome to the MILAVIA forum by the way! Hopefully you'll stick around.
Title: Re: Need BIG help with Gripen airfoil !!!
Post by: osuorsa on November 02, 2007, 03:09:02 AM
That's nice Viggen. BTW, its common nowadays to favour computer versions of the manuals etc. Its much easier to maintain validated. All new information, work orders, notices etc can be easily added from one place to all users. And from computer its much more easier to search for info/help you need with the plane.
Title: Re: Need BIG help with Gripen airfoil !!!
Post by: Raptor on November 07, 2007, 07:36:04 AM
I'd suggest writing an e-mail to saab and ask them for rough measurements? hehe

With digitalized manuals, though, it may be a little difficult to completely destroy data...

I don't see why the Gripen won't kick the F-16s @$$. The engine IS a ramped-up F-404, and not just the standard, so we should have quite reasonable power output... modify the frame a little into the JAS-39smth with the F-119 or F-110 and you have a miracle plane. The Viggen might look good with a F-119 stuck up its tail... I'd like to see that. ;D
Title: Re: Need BIG help with Gripen airfoil !!!
Post by: Raptor on November 07, 2007, 07:43:59 AM
Oh how droll, Gripen. Grip, you'd better start building the fire-bombs now.

Anyway you could send me your national secrets in pdf format, Viggen? I think i'll build a scaled down model of the Gripen. ;D
Title: Re: Need BIG help with Gripen airfoil !!!
Post by: #Leo# on November 07, 2007, 12:08:44 PM
Please, no more off topic.....help still needed
Title: Re: Need BIG help with Gripen airfoil !!!
Post by: Raptor on November 09, 2007, 06:48:21 AM
What exactly do you need it for, Leo?
Title: Re: Need BIG help with Gripen airfoil !!!
Post by: #Leo# on November 09, 2007, 11:14:29 PM
Basicly, I need airfoil type of wing and canards,and I need some geometry, like root ant tip chord legnht of wing and of canards etc...If not the exactly airfoil, just tell me is the wing symetrical or not, and what type of leading edge shape has it got, is it a "bow" type or a "diamond" type...thanks
Title: Re: Need BIG help with Gripen airfoil !!!
Post by: Raptor on November 10, 2007, 07:42:35 AM
No, mean why do you want the specs for? What are you going to use it for?

You can get them from Gripen. He's the major Gripen fan.
Title: Re: Need BIG help with Gripen airfoil !!!
Post by: #Leo# on November 12, 2007, 03:22:55 PM
The data would be just for some work on college, for my collegium "Mechanics Of Flight"
Title: Re: Need BIG help with Gripen airfoil !!!
Post by: Cobra2 on November 13, 2007, 08:01:47 PM
Leo if you need a 3D of the Saab JAS-39 Gripen I would be glad to hook you up with over 5 3D models. You would need DNM Viewer to view them though...
Title: Re: Need BIG help with Gripen airfoil !!!
Post by: #Leo# on November 14, 2007, 09:34:20 PM
Cobra2 --> please send them to me ..... if you can send them to lstipisic@gmail.com (first letter is small L) . thanx
Title: Re: Need BIG help with Gripen airfoil !!!
Post by: Cobra2 on November 16, 2007, 04:12:41 AM
They are NOT my models though, other people created them.
Title: Re: Need BIG help with Gripen airfoil !!!
Post by: valkyrian on December 05, 2007, 03:30:09 PM
I bet Leo, you want to create a flight model and check your predictions with actual data.

What kind of airfoil Grippen uses is most unlikely to find. Even if you knew that it was a 64A series, it surely would be a modification to better suit Grippen's needs.

But u can easily find the aspect ratio (=span^2/wing area), taper ratio (chord at tip/ chord at root) fuel fraction (weight of fuel /total weight), u can have an accurate idea of T/W ratio and then "play" with the specific excess power equations, to predict (at a reasonable degree) the performance.

Title: Re: Need BIG help with Gripen airfoil !!!
Post by: Raptor on December 07, 2007, 04:27:46 AM
valk-What happens if he doesn't have some of these figures?
Title: Re: Need BIG help with Gripen airfoil !!!
Post by: valkyrian on December 07, 2007, 08:48:05 AM
Raptor my friend, these data can be found all over the internet.....
Title: Re: Need BIG help with Gripen airfoil !!!
Post by: Raptor on December 08, 2007, 09:14:50 AM
Agreed. Leo, why don't you do an F-15 or something...?