Design challenges associated with development of a new generation UAV

Abstract

PurposeTo provide an overview of design activity undertaken within the CAPECON Project supported by European Commission and devoted to development of HALE UAV being proposed for long endurance flights.Design/methodology/approachSelected research methods devoted mainly to the improvement of dynamic stability of unmanned aerial vehicles have been described and their application into design optimisation are shown. The main goal of this research was to improve an economic effectiveness, safety and a modular arrangement of on‐board systems, especially with respect to sensors being easy replaceable for different missions.FindingsThe research and design process included an aerodynamic optimisation of swept wing, stability analysis, weight balance, some on‐board redundant systems, reliability and maintability analysis, safety improvement, cost and performance optimisation. A number of design iterations were performed to achieve the required aircraft performances and characteristics. This iteration number was relatively moderate (four cycles only) due to employing a modern software and the essential role of theoretical analysis performed parallel to the design and redesign process.Research limitations/implicationsAnalysis and design methodology is limited to surveillance, high altitude long endurance platforms, where the design objectives are high reliability, safety and low cost of production and operation.Practical implicationsA very useful source of design information and patterns to follow, especially for engineering students and engineers dealing with unmanned aviation.Originality/valueThis paper offers practical help for designers being involved with an unmanned platform to be well optimised for high altitude long endurance mission, giving a lot of practical information about many aspects of longitudinal and lateral stability of Blended Wing Body configuration, on‐board sensors and systems integrated with loading structure.