Trapezoidal wing

[1][2][3] The thin, unswept, short-span, low-aspect-ratio trapezoidal configuration offers some advantages for high-speed flight and has been used on a small number of aircraft types.

At supersonic speeds a thin, small and highly loaded wing offers substantially lower drag than other configurations.

Low span and an unswept, tapered planform reduce structural stresses, allowing the wing to be made thin.

The small wing of the Starfighter was found to have good gust response at low level, providing a smooth ride at high subsonic speeds.

A variant with a curved airfoil, blunt trailing edge and conventional internal structure was developed for the North American X-15 rocket plane.