A novel adaptive winglet concept was developed to enable controlled cant angle orientation and twist throughout the flight envelope whilst also providing a passive gust loads alleviation capability.

A CFD based aerodynamic design of the device applied on a baseline Turbo-Fan Aircraft configuration model was undertaken, followed by a preliminary lay-out definition of the structure and actuation system required for the device.

Detailed parametric studies were then performed to investigate the performance of the device in terms of both drag and loads alleviation capabilities on its own, and also in combination with conventional control actuators, and both compared to the baseline configuration.