Walter R Burhans

US Patent:

53723325, Dec 13, 1994

Filed:

Aug 19, 1993

Appl. No.:

8/109228

Inventors:

Glenn L. Spacht - Lloyd Neck NY
Richard F. Nastasi - Commack NY
Walter R. Burhans - Miller Place NY

Assignee:

Grumman Aerospace Corporation - Bethpage NY

International Classification:

B64C 100
B64D 500

US Classification:

244 2

Abstract:

A survivability enhancement air vehicle adapted to be air launched from a launching aircraft has a fuselage with a top half and a bottom half separable from the top half. A first stage rocket constitutes the bottom half of the fuselage and a second stage rocket and associated avionics constitute the top half of the fuselage. Gull wings are rotatably mounted on the top half of the fuselage for rotation from a stowed position next adjacent the top half to an extended position substantially 90 degrees toward the bottom half upon being air launched. A separation device in the fuselage separates and drops the bottom half of the fuselage from the top half upon burnout of the first stage rocket. A control system in the top half of the fuselage controls the air vehicle in flight either from the launching aircraft or autonomously, whereby the air vehicle may be used to protect the launching aircraft in a hostile environment.

US Patent:

55426255, Aug 6, 1996

Filed:

Mar 26, 1993

Appl. No.:

8/037333

Inventors:

Walter R. Burhans - Miller Place NY
Nathan Kirchbaum - Blacksburg VA
Richard F. Nastasi - Commack NY

Assignee:

Grumman Aerospace Corporation - Bethpage NY

International Classification:

B64C 316
B64C 504

US Classification:

244 45R

Abstract:

A vehicle, lacking an empennage, has a gull wing with ailerons movably mounted at the trailing edges of the wing for controlling pitch, yaw and roll, or has a wing and a gull tail with flaps movably mounted at the trailing edges of the tail surface for controlling pitch, yaw and roll.

US Patent:

45694931, Feb 11, 1986

Filed:

Mar 14, 1983

Appl. No.:

6/475198

Inventors:

Walter R. Burhans - Miller Place NY

Assignee:

Grumman Aerospace Corporation - Bethpage NY

International Classification:

B64C 1316

US Classification:

244 76R

Abstract:

Canards are pivotally mounted on the fuselage of a variable sweep wing jet aircraft and project laterally with respect to the fuselage forwardly of the wings. The canards are positioned and configured to produce pitch control moments about the center of gravity. Thrust-vectoring devices extend from the jet engines of the aircraft for varying the thrust direction of such engines. A control system is mounted in the fuselage and extends to the wings, the canards and the thrust-vectoring devices for controlling the wings in angular positions relative to the fuselage, controlling the canards in rotary position relative to the fuselage and controlling the thrust-vectoring devices to control the thrust direction. The positions are controlled in coordination to overcome pitch departure, deep stall and spin, which might otherwise occur due to lack of nose-down pitch power, while also optimizing supersonic cruise and transonic maneuver performance of the aircraft.