What aircraft has no tail wing?

Aircraft designed without a conventional horizontal tail wing are known as tailless aircraft. These designs typically integrate the function of pitch control into the main wing structure, often utilizing a delta wing configuration.

Understanding Tailless Aircraft Designs

A traditional aircraft features a main wing for lift, a vertical stabilizer (fin) for yaw control, and a horizontal stabilizer (tail wing or tailplane) for pitch control. Tailless aircraft, however, eliminate the separate horizontal tail wing. This design choice can offer several advantages, including:

• Reduced drag: Fewer surfaces mean less air resistance, potentially leading to higher speeds or improved fuel efficiency.
• Lower weight: Eliminating the tail structure reduces the overall weight of the aircraft.
• Stealth characteristics: The simpler shape can reduce radar cross-section.
• Structural simplicity: Fewer components can simplify manufacturing.

While offering benefits, tailless designs can present challenges in terms of stability and control, often requiring sophisticated aerodynamic shaping or advanced flight control systems. Many early tailless aircraft, particularly those with a pure delta wing, achieve pitch stability through the sweep and anhedral/dihedral of the wingtips or by reflexing the trailing edge.

Notable Examples of Tailless Aircraft

Throughout aviation history, several prominent aircraft have been designed without a conventional tail wing, showcasing the effectiveness of this configuration. Many of these aircraft adopted a delta wing shape, where the wing is roughly triangular.

Here are some well-known examples of aircraft that lack a distinct horizontal tail wing:

These aircraft represent a significant period in aviation design, particularly during the Cold War era, where the pursuit of high-speed performance often led to innovative aerodynamic solutions like the tailless delta wing.