# Delta wing

> Why use a delta wing?

- Category: Aircraft design › Wing planforms
- Kind: Standard part
- Basis: Design rules and figures from the cited sources; example geometry by Xem Studio
- Page: https://xemstudio.com/objects/delta-wing/ · JSON: https://xemstudio.com/api/geometry?object=delta-wing · Plain text: https://xemstudio.com/objects/delta-wing/sheet.txt
- License: dimension sheet CC BY 4.0 (Xem Studio); files Xem Studio Design License (free to use and sell from, not to redistribute as files: https://xemstudio.com/license/)
- Use in every chat: add https://xemstudio.com/mcp as a connector (https://xemstudio.com/use-with-ai/)

**Exact dimensions.** True size, with no printing tolerance added.

## Notes

- A delta wing is a triangular, low-aspect-ratio planform; Leishman notes it approaches the optimal shape for sustained supersonic flight (ERAU).
- At high angle of attack a sharp-edged slender delta builds steady leading-edge vortices that add lift: on NASA's ogee test aircraft the vortices stayed steady to 25 deg AoA, though induced drag rose and approach L/D fell from about 5 to 4 (NASA Ames). Concorde's lift kept increasing up to about 40 deg before vortex breakdown (Heritage Concorde).
- Deltas behave like swept wings in roll, with a stable dihedral effect that rises quickly with lift coefficient (Kitplanes). Slender deltas stall later (34 deg, CLmax 1.26) than non-slender ones (21 deg, 0.99) (Frontiers WIG review).
- Used on: Douglas F5D Skylancer, Concorde.
- The file is a reference example built by Xem Studio from the numbers above. Sizes the sources do not fix are illustrative; scale the example to your own vehicle.

## Sizes

| parameter | value or range | source |
|---|---|---|
| F5D basic LE sweep / AR | 52.5 deg / 2.02 | NASA Ames (Drinkwater & Rolls) |
| Slender delta stall / CLmax | 34 deg / 1.26 | Frontiers 2022 review |
| Non-slender delta stall / CLmax | 21 deg / 0.99 | Frontiers 2022 review |
| Approach L/D, sharp-edged ogee vs basic | about 4 vs about 5 | NASA Ames |
| Reference build | span 600, root 580, LE sweep 52.5 deg | computed (F5D sweep) |

## Where the files are

- Embry-Riddle (Leishman), Introduction to Aerospace Flight Vehicles: [Wing Shapes and Nomenclature](https://eaglepubs.erau.edu/introductiontoaerospaceflightvehicles/chapter/wing-shapes-and-nomenclature/) — web — Publisher's page; dimensions are facts
- NASA Ames (Drinkwater & Rolls), AGARD Report 538: [Flight Experience with the Ogee Wing at Low Speed (1966)](https://ntrs.nasa.gov/api/citations/19670020235/downloads/19670020235.pdf) — web — Publisher's page; dimensions are facts
- Heritage Concorde: [The Wing](https://www.heritageconcorde.com/the-wing) — web — Publisher's page; dimensions are facts
- Kitplanes (B. Wainfan): [Wind Tunnel: Roll's role in lateral stability (2008)](https://www.kitplanes.com/wind-tunnel-135/) — web — Publisher's page; dimensions are facts
- Frontiers in Aerospace Engineering (2022): [Review of ground-effect experiments on rectangular, reverse-delta and delta wings](https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/aerospace-engineering/articles/10.3389/fpace.2022.975158/pdf) — web — Publisher's page; dimensions are facts

## Free STEP/STL (1 parts, Xem Studio Design License, Xem Studio)

Index: https://xemstudio.com/files/hardware/delta-wing/index.json · license: https://xemstudio.com/files/hardware/delta-wing/LICENSE.md

- delta-wing-wing: [STEP](https://xemstudio.com/files/hardware/delta-wing/delta-wing-wing.step) · [STL](https://xemstudio.com/files/hardware/delta-wing/delta-wing-wing.stl) — delta planform: span 600, root 580, tip 0 mm, LE sweep 52.5°, dihedral 0°, NACA 0012

## Questions

**Why do deltas land nose-high?**

Their lift comes partly from leading-edge vortices that need high angle of attack (NASA Ames; Heritage Concorde).

## Fits with

- [Rectangular (constant-chord) wing](https://xemstudio.com/objects/rectangular-wing/)
- [Tapered wing (taper ratio for minimum induced drag)](https://xemstudio.com/objects/tapered-wing/)
- [Elliptical wing](https://xemstudio.com/objects/elliptical-wing/)
- [Swept-back wing](https://xemstudio.com/objects/swept-wing/)
- [Forward-swept wing](https://xemstudio.com/objects/forward-swept-wing/)
- [Cranked arrow / double delta wing](https://xemstudio.com/objects/cranked-double-delta-wing/)