SUPERSONIC BIPLANE —— A POSSIBLE BOOMLESS CONFIGURATION

The concept of the supersonic biplane was proposed by Adolf Busemann, a German aerodynamist, in 1935. In recent years, the supersonic biplane has re-attracted the aeronautical scientist's interest in order to meet the needs of supersonic transport's low sonic boom and low supersonic cruise drag. In this paper, the working mechanism of the typical supersonic biplane is summarized. The basic problems faced by the application of the supersonic biplane, such as non-design point characteristics and three-dimensional problems, are introduced. Finally, the key problems and the application prospects of the supersonic biplane in the future are prospected.