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A comparative study of two UCAV type wing planforms — performance and stability considerations

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 February 2016

R. K. Nangia  and
M. E. Palmer
R. K. Nangia
Affiliation:
Nangia Aero Research Associates, Bristol, UK
M. E. Palmer
Affiliation:
Nangia Aero Research Associates, Bristol, UK
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Abstract

Currently there is a revival of interest in flying wings for military (and civil) use. The military context has arisen from the future ‘stealthy’ high altitude long endurance (HALE) and unmanned combat air vehicles (UCAV) aircraft. Questions on aerodynamics, control and structural efficiency arise. Compared with conventional wing/tail arrangements, flying wings have a special set of very different constraints. These are mentioned.

Without a trim surface, the constraints on the wing pitching moment dictate the design camber and twist. Control power requirements can be high because of effectively short moment arms. The camber and twist are strongly dependent on trim stability margins. This aspect needs to be understood in detail when comparing different types of planforms.

This paper covers three inter-related aspects – a wing design method, the suitability of solvers used with the method and a comparative study of two, typical UCAV planforms. This is inspired by the need to understand a variety of wings (in the public domain) that are, at first sight, aimed at similar missions. The main emphasis has been on developing and understanding cruise design camber and twist with Cm constraints of stable, neutral and unstable static margins. Spanwise lift and drag loadings have also been presented. Camber design has been via attained thrust methods and a modal approach. It is shown that starting from basic information such as the planform, we are able to predict the anticipated performance with sufficient confidence for comparative assessments of published project data.

Further work is proposed in several areas.

Type
Research Article
Information
The Aeronautical Journal , Volume 110 , Issue 1112 , October 2006 , pp. 641 - 658
Copyright
Copyright © Royal Aeronautical Society 2006 

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