Abstract: A thermal radiation-generating decoy mounted adjacent an aircraft engine structure, such as an engine nacelle, includes a heat source inside of an aerodynamic enclosure with a mounting interface to attach the enclosure to the engine structure. The decoy can further be located at the lower extreme of and adjacent the forward-most portion of the engine nacelle in order to attract an infrared-seeking threat to the vicinity of the fan containment portion of the engine nacelle. The decoy can be designed to have a thermal signature that mimics a scaled overall aircraft thermal signature. In addition, the decoy can include a fuse shield adjacent the enclosure to detonate a threat in the case that the threat approach trajectory is imprecise and the threat bypasses the enclosure within an aspect of the fuse shield as viewed from the approach direction of the threat.

Abstract: An aircraft configuration that may reduce the level of noise, infrared radiation, sonic boom, or combination thereof directed towards the ground from an aircraft in flight. In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, an aircraft includes a tubular fuselage, two delta wings, at least one engine mounted to the aircraft and higher than the wings, and vertical stabilizers mounted on each wing outboard of the outermost engine. Each wing may include a wing strake at the leading edge of the wing and extending to the fuselage and an aft deck. The leading edge of the wing may extend forward of the intake of the engine, and the trailing edge of the aft deck may extend aft of the engine exhaust. The aft deck may include an upwardly rotatable pitch control surface at the trailing edge of the deck.