Abstract: A nozzle cooling system for selectively cooling longitudinally extending and circumferentially adjacent divergent exhaust flow confining elements bounding a hot exhaust gas flowpath in a divergent section of an aircraft gas turbine engine exhaust nozzle and providing pivoting capability for divergent flaps and seals in an axisymmetric vectoring nozzle. The apparatus includes axially adjacent forward and aft sections of at least one of the exhaust flow confining elements (typically referred to as flaps and seals), the adjacent forward and aft sections have forward and aft interior hot surfaces respectively, and mounting apparatus for mounting the aft section to the forward section in one of at least two positions.

Abstract: A thrust vectoring axisymmetric vectoring exhaust nozzle having universally pivoting divergent flaps is provided with a surrounding thermal shield of overlapping outer flaps and seals generally disposed in an aftwards converging conical arrangement and having a means for changing its shape from axisymmetrical to asymmetrical. Additional thermal and cooling protection is provided by a series of ejector slots located on the divergent universally pivotal flaps and adjacent interflap seals of the nozzle to both cool and thermally shield the flaps and seals.

Abstract: A thrust vectoring axisymmetric convergent divergent variable exhaust nozzle is provided with a universally pivoting joint between the divergent and convergent flaps and actuating the linkage mechanisms for changing the divergent nozzle section from axisymmetrical to asymmetrical by pivoting the divergent flaps in the radial and tangential directions with respect to the axisymmetric nozzle centerline in a controlled manner.