Generating lift at supersonic speeds

[flirt]

Im having some trouble understanding how lift is generated at supersonic speed as apposed to subsonic speed. Viscous effects at high speed are greatly reduced and a normal airfoil from subsonic flight is not suitable for such applications.
I have had a good read on wiki and other sites but i can't find much regarding the fluid mechanics of it. I would think there would be a lot on this subject, so how is this lift being generated?

 

[granpa]

if the wing hits the air at an angle then the air never knows that the wing is supersonic

 

[Phrak]

I want to know too. Where are the forces on the wing?

 

[russ_watters]

Lift is generated more or less the same way - drag is the big issue at supersonic speeds. Drag is why you make diamond shaped wings instead of round wings for supersonic flight.

 

[boneh3ad]

At supersonic speeds, camber no longer affects lift and angle of attack becomes the most important factor. You generate a high pressure below the foil with an oblique shock and the lower pressure above via Prandtl-Meyer expansions. Of course that is an oversimplification because a real supersonic aircraft would have highly swept wings and needs to have a shape that works both supersonically and subsonically.