The wing extends at right angles to the fuselage. Straight wings are strong, produce plenty of lift, and are relatively easy to manufacture but they can also be aerodynamically inefficient and produce a lot of drag. Ironically, at very high supersonic speeds, a small straight wing produces less drag.
Cessna 172
The delta wing combines many of the advantages of the straight wing (strength and lift) and swept wing (low transonic and supersonic drag). Disadvantages include high subsonic drag, high landing speeds, and, because of the large surface area, a bumpy ride in thick, turbulent air at low altitudes.
Dassault Mirage III
This configuration angles backward from the root—where the wing meets the fuselage. At high transonic and supersonic speeds a swept wing produces less drag. They are harder to build and give less strength than a straight wing, produce less lift, and usually handle less predictably around stall speed.
North American F-86 Sabre
Hinged at the wing root so they can angle forward and back, swing wings combine the best of both worlds, providing high lift when swept forward and low drag when swept back. A penalty is paid in the weight and complexity of the system, however. Embraced as a solution in the 1970s, they’ve now fallen out of favor.
Panavia Tornado F3
