Flight Performance Analysis of a Blended Wing-Body Unmanned Aerial Transport Vehicle

• Published in: Journal of Aeronautics, Astronautics and Aviation
• Main Author: Shuairi M.D.M.; Nasir R.E.M.; Romli F.I.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: The Aeronautical and Astronautical Society of the Republic of China 2024
• Online Access: https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85187543497&doi=10.6125%2fJoAAA.202403_56%281S%29.14&partnerID=40&md5=1641dc23cde9745c76e8fd9c427adb77

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have found many applications today. One of them is for transportation and delivery of parcels. In this study, flight performance analysis of Baseline-X blended-wing-body (BWB) UAV, which is designed and developed for transportation of parcels, is conducted. Mission requirements for the BWB UAV are specified and tailored to the anticipated necessary performance to execute the delivery mission profile. The analysis adopts several traditional formulas that have been used for evaluating aircraft performance, which involves theoretical calculations, iterative computations and also data analyses. Among others, the performance parameters that are estimated for the Baseline-X BWB UAV design in this study include range, endurance, rate of climb, maneuverability, velocity and others. Based on the estimated performance parameters, the Baseline-X BWB UAV is shown to have adequate capabilities to perform the intended parcel delivery mission. Moving forward, the use of higher fidelity methods and tools is necessary to better predict the actual flight performance of the Baseline-X BWB UAV. © 2024 The Aeronautical and Astronautical Society of the Republic of China. All rights reserved.