FLIGHT DYNAMIC CHARACTERISATION OF THE USV-FLYING TEST BED VEHICLE

In the paper the maneuverability and stability (static and dynamic) characteristics of the USV Flying Test Bed (FTB_1) vehicle are presented. The analyses have been focused on the first dropped mission that achieves transonic flight regimes. Peculiarity of the here reported analyses is their application to the whole uncertainty space of the aerodatabase. Aerostructural datasets analyzed and relative uncertainty ranges, came from both CFD computations and from wind tunnel testing activities. Both classical and widely applied maneuverability and stability criteria, based on stability derivatives analyses, and root loci analyses for longitudinal and lateral-directional modes have been applied and results compared, giving suggestion for applicability of simplified analysis criteria.