Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jun 11, 2026

Deceleron

The deceleron, or split aileron, was developed in the late 1940s by Northrop, originally for use on the F-89 Scorpion fighter. It is a two-part aileron that can be deflected as a unit to provide roll control, or split open to act as an air brake. Decelerons are used on the Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II, and in turn to a stabilizer the Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit flying wing. In differential use they impart yaw moment, potentially obviating the rudder and vertical stabilizer control surface, although requiring active flight control.

Last revised
Jun 11, 2026
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An A-10 Thunderbolt II with its decelerons opened source ↗

The deceleron, or split aileron, was developed in the late 1940s by Northrop, originally for use on the F-89 Scorpion fighter. It is a two-part aileron that can be deflected as a unit to provide roll control, or split open to act as an air brake. Decelerons are used on the Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II, and in turn to a stabilizer the Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit flying wing.1 In differential use they impart yaw moment, potentially obviating the rudder and vertical stabilizer control surface, although requiring active flight control.

See also

See also

References

References

  1. "NORTHROP FLYING WINGS-PART 1" (PDF). United States Department of Defense. Retrieved 19 Oct 2025.
External links