Can lift be generated in a steady inviscid flow?

Abstract This paper presents a critical evaluation of the physical aspects of lift generation to prove that no lift can be generated in a steady inviscid flow. Hence, the answer to the recurring question in the paper title is negative. In other words, the fluid viscosity is necessary in lift generation. The relevant topics include D’Alembert’s paradox of lift and drag, the Kutta condition, the force expression based on the boundary enstrophy flux (BEF), the vortex lift, and the generation of the vorticity and circulation. The physical meanings of the variational formulations to determine the circulation and lift are discussed. In particular, in the variational formulation based on the continuity equation with the first-order Tikhonov regularization functional, an incompressible flow with the artificial viscosity (the Lagrange multiplier) is simulated, elucidating the role of the artificial viscosity in lift generation. The presented contents are valuable for the pedagogical purposes in aerodynamics and fluid mechanics.