Pointed two-parameter power-law nose shapes of minimum wave drag

A direct method of constructing pointed contours which are close to optimum with respect to wave drag is developed for axisymmetric nose shapes using Euler's equations. A two-parameter power function is a good approximation of the contours constructed using this method. Calculations, carried out using the proposed approximation, demonstrate the reduction in the wave drag of the bodies constructed compared with existing optimum, blunt, one-parameter, power-law nose shapes. (C) 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.