Design of A Distributed Propulsion VTOL UAV

Abstract

VTOL (Vertical Takeoff and Landing) and highspeed flight are important performance requirements of VTOL fixed-wing UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) and high-speed helicopters. In this paper, a distributed ducted fan propulsion VTOL UAV configuration is proposed based on distributed electric propulsion technology. Aiming at the demand of quick aerodynamic calculation in the aircraft conceptual design of this kind of configuration, a quick aerodynamic analysis method of the UAV based on equivalent actuator disk of single ducted fan model is proposed. The aerodynamic characteristics and flight performance of the UAV are analyzed, and the conversion corridor of the UAV is given. The results show that the configuration meets the design requirements of VTOL and highspeed flight. Due to the change of the nacelle angle will bring the change of the wing angle of attack, the conversion corridor presents the shape characteristics from narrow to wide.