Strut Effects on Store Freestream Aerodynamics

In order to maximize stealth, most new military fighter/attack aircraft are designed to carry weapons internally. Associated wind tunnel testing of stores inside an internal bomb bay or cavity can be problematic due to the use of a sting or strut to place the simulated store in the desired position inside the internal cavity. Since aft mounted stings are usually not feasible, a strut mounted sting is typically used for determination of moments on a simulated store in an internal cavity. However, these strut devices can impact store freestream aerodynamics. A study was completed to see if computational fluid dynamics could be used to identify the potential impact on the strut on store aerodynamics.