An integrated and/or modular high-speed aircraft and method of design and manufacture.
The aircraft can have a supersonic or near-sonic cruise Mach number. In one embodiment,
the aircraft can include an aft body integrated with a delta wing and a rearwardly
tapering fuselage to define a smooth forward-to-rear area distribution. A propulsion
system, including an engine, inlet, and exhaust nozzle can be integrated into the
aft body to be at least partially hidden behind the wing. In one embodiment, the
entrance of the inlet can be positioned beneath the wing, and the exit of the nozzle
can be positioned at or above the wing. An S-shaped inlet duct can deliver air
to the aft-mounted, integrated engine. The aircraft can include aft-mounted elevators,
wing-mounted elevons, and forward-mounted canards for pitch control. The construction
of the aircraft can be modular to take advantage of commonalties between near-sonic
and supersonic structures.