In comparison to an unswept wing, a swept wing will have?

• A. Lower CL at subsonic and supersonic speeds
• B. Higher CL at all speeds
• C. Higher maximum lift
• D. Identical lift curves

Answer: (A)

Wing sweep changes how lift is produced by the wing, effectively making it act like a wing with a lower aspect ratio. Because the flow meets a swept wing at a different angle and the lift vector is less directly oriented to the flight path, the lift-curve slope is reduced and the lift coefficient at a given angle of attack is lower. This effect shows up across subsonic and supersonic regimes: for the same wing area, speed, and angle of attack, a swept wing generates less lift than an unswept wing. Sweep also delays some adverse compressibility effects, but it does not increase the lift produced for a given condition, so the maximum lift isn’t higher either. That’s why the correct statement is that the swept wing has a lower lift coefficient at subsonic and supersonic speeds. The other options describe higher lift, identical lift curves, or higher maximum lift, which don’t align with how sweep alters lift generation.