[1] Its purpose is to reduce wave drag while travelling at transonic speeds (Mach 0.8–1.0), which includes the typical cruising range of conventional jet airliners.
The theory behind the anti-shock body was independently developed during the early 1950s, by two aerodynamists, Richard Whitcomb at NASA and Dietrich Küchemann at the British Royal Aircraft Establishment.
[5]: 52 Whitcomb stated that the anti-shock body was no longer required on the top surface of a wing when the supercritical airfoil was introduced[8] because they both decreased the strength of, or eliminated, the shock and its attendant drag.
They did not improve the performance of the aircraft, and when they became redundant for their intended purpose they were left in place to save the cost of removing them.
[10] Several Tupolev aircraft of the Soviet Union utilized Küchemann carrots as gear storage pods, which were mounted mid-wing and extended past the trailing surface.