A Drag Resistant Aerospike is a telescoping outward extension that reduces frontal drag on missiles. The aerospike serves to form a sort of pilot hole which initiates a shockwave or channel in the airstream and reduces the amount of resistance on the main missile body.

The Trident missile system uses a drag resistant aerospike to reduce its drag by up to 50 percent.

In 1995 at the 33rd Aerospace Sciences Meeting it was reported that tests were performed at an aerospike-protected missile dome to Mach 6, obtaining quantitative surface pressure and temperature-rise data on the feasibility of using aerospikes on hypersonic missiles. Similar systems are also seen on supersonic aircraft.

See also

• Trident missile

External links

• http://techreports.larc.nasa.gov/ltrs/PDF/aiaa-95-0737.pdf.

Aerodynamics