Overview
This entry covers a gallery image that appears to show a thrust-vectoring exhaust louver concept — a mechanism for deflecting engine exhaust to provide pitch, yaw, or roll control for aircraft or missiles. Thrust vectoring is a technology that enhances the manoeuvrability and control of aircraft and missiles, particularly at high angles of attack and at low speeds where conventional aerodynamic control surfaces are less effective.
The image's specific programme attribution, date, and provenance cannot be verified from the image alone. Thrust vectoring has been studied and applied in numerous aircraft and missile programmes, and the concept depicted may represent a specific design or a general concept.
Thrust Vectoring Technology
Thrust vectoring is the ability to deflect the engine exhaust jet away from the engine's longitudinal axis, producing a lateral force component that can be used for aircraft or missile control. Thrust vectoring can be implemented in several ways:
Nozzle deflection: The engine nozzle is mounted on a gimbal or flexible joint that allows the nozzle to deflect in one or two axes. This is the most common approach for operational thrust-vectoring aircraft. Examples include the F-22 Raptor (which uses 2D thrust-vectoring nozzles that deflect ±20 degrees in pitch) and the Sukhoi Su-35 (which uses 3D thrust-vectoring nozzles that deflect in both pitch and yaw).
Jet vanes: Vanes or tabs are placed in the engine exhaust stream and deflected to redirect the exhaust. Jet vanes are simple and lightweight but reduce engine efficiency due to the drag of the vanes in the exhaust stream. Jet vanes are commonly used in missile thrust vector control.
Louvered exhaust: The exhaust nozzle incorporates louvers or flaps that can be opened or closed asymmetrically to deflect the exhaust. This approach is mechanically simpler than gimbaled nozzles but typically provides less deflection authority.
Fluidic thrust vectoring: The exhaust is deflected using secondary fluid injection — injecting air or other fluid into the exhaust stream to create asymmetry. Fluidic thrust vectoring has no moving parts in the exhaust stream but requires a source of secondary fluid.
Applications
Thrust vectoring has been applied in several aircraft and missile programmes:
F-22 Raptor: The F-22 uses two Pratt & Whitney F119 engines, each with a 2D thrust-vectoring nozzle that deflects ±20 degrees in pitch. The thrust vectoring enhances the F-22's manoeuvrability at high angles of attack and enables supercruise (sustained supersonic flight without afterburner).
F-35B Lightning II: The F-35B uses a Rolls-Royce LiftSystem that includes a thrust-vectoring rear nozzle that deflects downward for vertical landing. The F-35B is the first operational US aircraft with 3D thrust vectoring for vertical landing.
Sukhoi Su-35 and Su-57: Russian fighters use 3D thrust-vectoring nozzles that deflect in both pitch and yaw, providing enhanced manoeuvrability in all axes.
Missile thrust vector control: Many missiles use thrust vectoring for steering, particularly during the boost phase when aerodynamic control surfaces are ineffective due to low airspeed. Examples include the AIM-9X Sidewinder (which uses jet vanes) and the Trident II submarine-launched ballistic missile (which uses a gimbaled nozzle).
Declassification and Provenance
The gallery image is from a legacy compilation whose CIA-P2 catalog number is a legacy identifier and does not establish CIA authorship, declassification, or provenance. The image's presence in the compilation does not constitute evidence that the depicted concept is a CIA programme, a classified system, or a specific named design.
The image should be treated as an unverified schematic or photograph of a thrust-vectoring exhaust concept of unknown programme attribution.
References
- NASA. "Thrust Vectoring Control." NASA technical publications.
- Gal-Or, B. Vectorial Propulsion: A Novel Approach to Thrust Vectoring. AIAA.
- Chambers, Joseph. Innovation in Flight: Research of the NASA Langley Research Center on Revolutionary Advanced Concepts for Aeronautics. NASA.
- Williams, B. "Thrust Vectoring for Fighter Aircraft." Journal of Aircraft.