Abstract: Proposed in the 1930s, the concept of supersonic favorable interference aerodynamic design basically meant to obtain performance gains such as lift increase or drag reduction by using wave disturbance interference between aircraft components. Explored extensively in the 1950s and 1960s, and partially implemented in engineering applications, it fell into silence from the 1970s to the end of the 20th century. Recently, with the revival of supersonic transport and hypersonic vehicle technology, the concept of supersonic favorable interference has been re-emphasized and is expected to be applied to engineering. This paper reviews the development of the concept of supersonic favorable interference aerodynamic design, summarizes the typical configurations adopting the principle of supersonic favorable interference such as supersonic biplanes, flat-top configurations, ring wings and half-ring wings, parasol wings, and high pressure capturing wings, and analyses the basic principles and aerodynamic characteristics of these typical configurations. The future development of the concept is proposed with a summary of related problems that need urgent attention.

Key words: supersonic favorable interference, aerodynamic configuration, supersonic biplane, ring wing, half-ring wing, parasol wing, high pressure capturing wing