Title: F-18 HARV, Actuated Nose Strakes for Enhanced Rolling (ANSER)
Designer: Unknown
Year it was designed: circa 1990
Explanation or story behind the patch: In the final phase of the NASA F-18 HARV (High Alpha Research Vehicle) an experimental nose was flown on the HARV. The intent was to control the forebody vortices on the aircraft and use these as the yaw control for high angle of attack maneuvering. NASA Ames had proposed a forebody blowing nose and NASA Langley proposed a mechanical strake nose, with the NASA Langley design winning and being flown on the HARV (the NASA Ames idea was adapted to the X-29A and flown as well). Both experiments proved successful and gave aircraft designers another set of technologies for future aircraft designs. In the competition between the NASA Langley forebody strake experiment and the NASA Ames forebody blowing experiment, NASA Langley proposed forebody strakes to control the vortices and thereby control the yaw of the aircraft. This was the Langley logo, with their strakes and vortices shown.