A supercritical airfoil is an airfoil

Airfoil

An airfoil or aerofoil is the shape of a wing or blade or sail as seen in cross-section....

 designed, primarily, to delay the onset of wave drag

Wave drag

In aeronautics, wave drag is a component of the drag on aircraft, blade tips and projectiles moving at transonic and supersonic speeds, due to the presence of shock waves. Wave drag is independent of viscous effects.- Overview :...

 in the transonic

Transonic

Transonic speed is an aeronautics term referring to the condition of flight in which a range of velocities of airflow exist surrounding and flowing past an air vehicle or an airfoil that are concurrently below, at, and above the speed of sound in the range of Mach 0.8 to 1.2, i.e. 600–900 mph...

 speed range. Supercritical airfoils are characterized by their flattened upper surface, highly cambered

Camber (aerodynamics)

Camber, in aeronautics and aeronautical engineering, is the asymmetry between the top and the bottom surfaces of an aerofoil. An aerofoil that is not cambered is called a symmetric aerofoil...

 (curved) aft section, and greater leading edge

Leading edge

The leading edge is the part of the wing that first contacts the air; alternatively it is the foremost edge of an airfoil section. The first is an aerodynamic definition, the second a structural one....

 radius compared with traditional airfoil shapes. The supercritical airfoils were designed in the 1960s, by then NASA

NASA

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...

 engineer Richard Whitcomb

Richard Whitcomb

Richard T. Whitcomb , was an American aeronautical engineer noted for his significant contributions to the science of aerodynamics....

, and were first tested on a modified North American T-2C Buckeye.