A preliminary survey of the possible applications of variable sweepback indicated that a substantial improvement in performance can be expected when the concept Is applied to a naval strike aircraft. In order to assess this performance gain and to obtain experience of the engineering problems involved, the subject of the design study by the students in the Department of Aircraft Design during the 1964 academic year was chosen to be a variable sweepback naval strike aircraft. The aircraft has a maximum take off weight of 60, 000 lb. and a limiting Mach number at altitude of 2.5. Various payloads up to a maximum of 4000 lb. can be carried externally over ranges which vary up to 4000 n. miles according to the role. Alternative mechanical arrangements for the wing hinge system were investigated. The College of Aeronautics was founded in 1946 and was granted university status in 1969 becoming the Cranfield Institute of Technology. In 1993 it changed its name to Cranfield University.