My friend and I are uncertain as to what happens on swing wing aircraft, such as the Tornado, where the wings move back to make it more streamlined. Do the things attached to the wings rotate as well?

What I mean is, if you rotate the wings 50 degrees back or so, do the weapons and things turn 50 degress back in the other direction?


I can't really explain it properly, so here is a picture:




When the wings are out normally, all the weapons face forwards. When the wings swing back, do the weapons face outwards (such as in Part 1) or do they counter-rotate (such as in Part 2)?



Just seems like it would cause a lot of drag if fuel tanks and things were to stick out like in Part 1, but what does actually happen with to the things on the wings when they swing back?


Cheers.

Very nice photos, and I thought they might. So the hardpoint just rotates too or something like that?

machineman9 wrote on May 22^nd, 2009 at 7:42pm:


specter177 wrote on May 22^nd, 2009 at 7:46pm:



No assume, it does.

Matt