NaufalAqilF: Thrust Vectoring Nozzles

Thrust vectoring, also thrust vector control or TVC, is the ability of an aircraft, rocket, or other vehicle to manipulate the direction of the thrust from its engine(s) or motor(s) in order to control the attitude or angular velocity of the vehicle.

In rocketry and ballistic missiles that fly outside the atmosphere, aerodynamic control surfaces are ineffective, so thrust vectoring is the primary means of attitude control.

For aircraft, the method was originally envisaged to provide upward vertical thrust as a means to give aircraft vertical (VTOL) or short (STOL) takeoff and landing ability. Subsequently, it was realized that using vectored thrust in combat situations enabled aircraft to perform various maneuvers not available to conventional-engined planes. To perform turns, aircraft that use no thrust vectoring must rely on aerodynamic control surfaces only, such as ailerons or elevator; craft with vectoring must still use control surfaces, but to a lesser extent.

In missile literature originating from Russian sources, thrust vectoring is often referred as "gas-dynamic steering" or "gas-dynamic control".

Operational use of vectoring nozzles on aircraft began when the British Aerospace Harrier VTOL aircraft entered service with the Royal Air Force in 1968. In this aircraft, the conventional, rearwards jet exhaust was re-configured so that the bypass air and turbine exhaust from the Rolls-Royce Pegasus engine were expelled from two front (air) and two rear (exhaust) swivelling nozzles mounted on the sides of the fuselage. By altering the angle of these nozzles, the ratio of horizontal thrust to lift thrust could be varied, such that with the nozzles directed towards the ground, the aircraft could hover, stationary to the ground, and also move backwards.

On more recent fighter aircraft, pitch-axis thrust vectoring has been added to improve the turn rate of the aircraft by deflecting the exhaust gas stream using directional efflux nozzles. The Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor and Sukhoi Su-30MKI are some examples.