SENSOR-CRAFT STRUCTURAL OPTIMIZATION AND ANALYTICAL CERTIFICATION*

A structural and aerodynamic optimization of a composite joined-wing configuration is presented here. The configuration fulfills a proposed long-endurance surveillance mission and incorporates a load-bearing antenna structure embedded in the composite wing skin. An alternate composite model without embedded antenna structure is also analyzed. PanAir aerodynamic and MSC.NASTRAN structural analysis is managed through Adaptive Modeling Language (AML) software. A baseline configuration is trimmed for critical flight conditions and then structurally optimized for the trimmed flight loads. Non-linear analysis verifies the ability of the aft-wing to safely undergo large deformations.