If the angle of attack is increased on a swept wing compared to an unswept wing of similar area and aspect ratio the swept wing will produce?

• A. More drag and less lift
• B. Less drag and more lift
• C. No change in lift or drag
• D. Higher lift coefficient at all speeds

Answer: (A)

When you sweep a wing, the way the airflow interacts with the wing changes, especially how much of the angle of attack actually contributes to generating lift. A swept wing tends to reduce the lift produced at a given angle of attack because part of the flow is diverted along the wing’s span and the effective airfoil angle seen by the flow is reduced. In other words, for the same actual angle of attack, the lift coefficient on a swept wing is lower than that of an unswept wing with similar area and aspect ratio.

As you continue to increase the angle of attack, the swept wing experiences flow separation sooner and more abruptly, which drives a rapid rise in drag. The combination of weaker lift and a rapidly increasing drag as separation occurs means the swept wing generates more drag and less lift compared to the unswept wing under the same increase in angle of attack.

So the correct interpretation is that increasing angle of attack on a swept wing, relative to an unswept wing of similar size, results in more drag and less lift.