Tilt duct vertical takeoff and landing uninhabited aerial vehicle concept design study

¨A new autonomously controlled tilt-duct vertical takeoff and landing uninhabited aerial vehicle concept is proposed. This design combines the vertical flight capability of a helicopter and forward flight performance of a fixed-wing conventional aircraft. The two main engines and propellers are located inside the tilting ducts attached to the wing tips. There is a third engine‐propeller combination located inside the aft fuselage for pitch and yaw control during hover and transition. The advantages and disadvantages of the ducted propellers are discussed. A conceptual design study is performed including airfoil and geometry selection, initial sizing calculations, estimation of stability and control parameters, etc. Drawings of the aircraft in hover, transition and forward flight modes are presented.

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