Member-only story
Aircraft controls: Thrust vectoring
The ability to change the angle of the thrust is called thrust vectoring, or vectored thrust. This can serve many different functions, but it is popular in military aircraft to achieve a tighter turn radius for air superiority purposes.
Thrust vectoring was first envisioned to create vertical take-off and landing VTOL, short take-off and vertical landing STOVL, and short take-off and landing STOL capable aircraft.
After further research, many scientists and engineers realized that thrust vectoring could be used in combat situations to perform maneuvers without being completely dependent on the control surfaces of the aircraft. That is the case of the Sukhoi Su-57.
The design approach of the Su-57 allows moving independently each nozzle, creating a virtual actuator for 3D rotation. In the following video, the non-linear control of the Su-57 performs a maneuver to recover the aircraft control using only differential LEVCONs and thrust vectoring.
The asymmetric deflection of LEVCONs generates a differential form of drag that generates a yawing moment, supporting the thrust vectoring of the nozzles to recover the Su-57 control.
As summary, thrust vectoring is a relatively new technology that several programmes worldwide have explored. Regarding its application and benefits, thrust vectoring can provide modern military aircraft with a number of advantages regarding performance and survivability, all of which has an influence upon Life Cycle Cost.
