Aerodynamics, Stability and Control Analysis of Tactical Solar Power UAV

Abstract

This paper addresses the fundamental aerodynamics, stability, and control analysis of a solar power Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) as a part of the preliminary design stage. The tactical solar-powered UAV addressed in this paper is primarily developed for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) missions at low altitude. Moreover, such design also has a dual-use capability, which could be utilized in both military and civilian domains. The aerodynamic characteristics of the UAV are obtained from both computational fluid dynamics analysis technique and the wind-tunnel testing at the design operating Reynolds number ranging from 1x105 - 4.5x105. The fundamental aerodynamics coefficient consists of lift, drag, and pitching moment variations versus the angle of attack. The stability and control analysis was carried out based on the small disturbance theory in correlation with the XFLR5 software. The results show that the tactical solar power UAV design could achieve high aerodynamic efficiency at a 4-degree angle of attack which is corresponding to the lift-to-drag ratio of 20.05. Also, the analysis results confirm that the design possesses positive static and dynamic stability at the design cruise flight condition.