First flight test of passive dual synthetic jet for short takeoff and landing lift enhancement

Active flow control, which dynamically manipulates flow structures by injecting energy into the flow field, presents an innovative strategy to fulfill the high-lift requirements for aircraft operating under Short Takeoff and Landing (STOL) conditions. To assess its practical efficacy, this study developed an integrated control system that combines dual synthetic jet actuators-designed to control flow separation on control surfaces-with a multi-stage circulation control system aimed at augmenting wing lift. This system was deployed on an aircraft platform featuring a 5 m wingspan and a takeoff mass of 100 kilogram class for flight testing. The flight test in November 2025 results revealed that the dual synthetic jet lift-enhancement system significantly improved takeoff and landing performance: the takeoff rotation speed decreased from 26 m/s to 21 m/s, the ground roll distance was reduced from 156 m to 101 m, and the landing touch-down speed declined from 25 m/s to 20 m/s, and the landing energy was lowered by 36%. Furthermore, the achievement of a stable roll rate of 3.8 (°)/s through asymmetric actuation directly demonstrates the capacity of system to generate asymmetric lift and rolling control moments via precise flow manipulation. This work represents the first flight validation of a passive dual synthetic jet lift-enhancement technology on a medium-scale aircraft platform, thereby offering an innovative, efficient, and independently controllable technical approach for advancing aircraft STOL capabilities.