Aerospace Engineering Gate 2026 Questions with Answer

Ques 1 GATE 2026


The fundamental purpose of the Kutta condition in the thin airfoil theory is ________.

A

to determine the total strength of the source distribution

B

to determine the speed of the uniform flow

C

to incorporate the essential effect of viscosity in the potential flow theory

D

to incorporate the concept of induced drag in the inviscid theory


(c) is the correct answer.

Ques 2 GATE 2026


Shown below are qualitative illustrations of the lift curve for an airfoil when two different control surfaces are in their respective retracted and deployed configurations. Which of the following is/are TRUE?

A

Figure P is for a flap

B

Figure P is for a slat

C

Figure Q is for a slat

D

Figure Q is for a flap


(b,d) is the correct answer.

Ques 3 GATE 2026


Which of the following statements is/are TRUE regarding critical and drag divergence Mach numbers of a wing?

A

Critical Mach number is the minimum freestream Mach number for which sonic condition is attained somewhere over the wing

B

Drag divergence Mach number is always higher than the critical Mach number

C

Drag divergence Mach number is the local Mach number over the wing at which the drag increases drastically

D

Critical Mach number is independent of the angle of attack


(a,b) is the correct answer.

Ques 4 GATE 2026


The vortex shedding frequency behind a landing gear model is found to be 50 Hz when tested in a wind tunnel operating at 5 m/s. If the actual landing gear size is 10 times that of the model, and it is designed to operate at 50 m/s, then the expected vortex shedding frequency behind it is ________ Hz (rounded off to the nearest integer).


(5) is the correct answer.

Ques 5 GATE 2026


An elliptic wing has a span of 6 m and a planform area of 6 m2. When generating a lift coefficient of 0.6, the induced drag it incurs is ________ × 10−3 (rounded off to 1 decimal place).


(114.6) is the correct answer.

Ques 6 GATE 2026


An experimental study is planned to map out the low-Reynolds number incompressible steady two-dimensional aerodynamic characteristics of a promising novel airfoil. The operational parameters of the problem are the speed, density and viscosity of the freestream, the chord of the airfoil and its angle of attack. If the objective is to achieve this with the minimum number of test runs Nmin while taking 10 equally-spaced test values of each independent parameter of the problem in a suitable range, then Nmin is ________.

A

10

B

100

C

10,000

D

1,00,000


(b) is the correct answer.

Ques 7 GATE 2026


Consider the flow over an oval modeled using the elementary potential flows as shown below. U represents uniform flow velocity and Γ represents circulation around an irrotational line vortex.
Which of the following statements is/are TRUE for this model?

A

Increasing U enlarges the oval

B

Increasing Γ enlarges the oval

C

Interchanging the sense of the two vortices does not alter the oval

D

Moving the vortices too far apart causes the oval to break up


(a,b,c) is the correct answer.

Ques 8 GATE 2026


What is/are the use(s) of the single horseshoe vortex model of finite wing aerodynamic theory?

A

It can approximate the wing pitching moment coefficient

B

It can approximate the wing induced drag coefficient

C

It can approximate the effect of the wing on the induced drag coefficient of a typical horizontal tail

D

It can approximate the aerodynamic benefit/penalty of formation flight compared to isolated flight


(b,c,d) is the correct answer.

Ques 9 GATE 2026


For an airfoil section the pitching moment coefficient is determined about a reference point that is 0.3 times the chord behind the leading edge. It varies with the lift coefficient as shown in the table below. The distance of the aerodynamic center from the leading edge of the airfoil as a fraction of the chord is ________ (rounded off to one decimal place).


(0.4) is the correct answer.

Ques 10 GATE 2026


Consider a finite wing of aspect ratio 10 with span effectiveness factor 0.95. Its airfoil section has a lift slope of 0.106 per degree and a zero-lift angle of attack of –1.5°. The lift coefficient of the wing at an angle of attack of 3.5° is ________ (rounded off to 2 decimal places).


(0.44) is the correct answer.

Ques 11 GATE 2026


Thin airfoil theory predicts the zero-lift angle of attack αL=0 of NACA 2412 airfoil as −2.1°. The corresponding prediction of αL=0 for NACA 5410 airfoil is ________ degrees (rounded off to 1 decimal place).


(-2.6) is the correct answer.

Ques 12 GATE 2026


Consider a centered Prandtl-Meyer expansion fan at a θ = 4° corner in a Mach 1.78 air flow, as shown in the figure below. The angle ψ (see figure) made by the ending wave of the fan with respect to the incoming stream is ________ degrees (rounded off to 1 decimal place).
An excerpt from the table of Prandtl-Meyer function for air is provided below.


(28.9) is the correct answer.

Ques 13 GATE 2026


A Mach 1.5 air flow enters a round duct of length 20 cm and diameter 3 cm. If the flow exits with Mach number 1.1, the average Fanning friction factor f of the duct is ________ × 10−3 (rounded off to 1 decimal place).
An excerpt from the Fanno flow table for air is given below.


(9.4) is the correct answer.

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