Numerical investigation of vertical jet flow characteristics for a STOVL aircraft in ground effect

Zizhuo Wang, Zhili Tang, Xiance Wang, Yanting Song, Lianhe Zhang, Binbin Tang, Shuai Yin, Shengguan Xu, Key Laboratory of Aviation Technology for Aerodynamics for Low Speed and High Reynolds Number, AVIC Aerodynamics Research Institute, College of Aerospace Engineering, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, School of Mechanical and Power Engineering, Nanjing Tech University

Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part A: Journal of Power and Energy

Published online on February 19, 2026

Abstract

Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part A: Journal of Power and Energy, Ahead of Print.
This study presents a comprehensive numerical investigation into the jet-induced ground effect aerodynamics of a Short Take-Off and Vertical Landing (STOVL) aircraft. A robust Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) framework was first established through a ...