Fighter jet strakes, the ledges beside the nose, made visible with smoke as the jet climbs steeply.
What keeps the wings lifting at steep angles, and where does that help run out?
Fighter jet strakes are the long ledges beside a warplane’s nose. You watch, through smoke, how they spin the air into a vortex that helps the wings at steep angles, and why that help fades once the spiral bursts.
#FighterJets
Sources:
1. F-18 High Alpha Research Vehicle (HARV) – NASA — (accessed 2026-10-19)
2. In-flight flow visualization with pressure measurements at low speeds on the NASA F-18 high alpha research vehicle – NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS) — (accessed 2026-10-19)
3. In-flight leading-edge extension vortex flow-field survey measurements on a F-18 aircraft at high angle of attack – NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS) — (accessed 2026-10-19)
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