A Wind Tunnel Study of the Pioneer Remotely Piloted Vehicle
Abstract
Remotely Piloted Vehicles (RPVs) performed impressively well in the recent Gulf War. The Pioneer RPV has been fielded as the ground-launched, short- range RPV for the Marine Corps and as a RATO-launched, short-range RPV operating off of the Navy's battleships. A realistic flight simulation of the Pioneer RPV for training system operators was desired. A 0.4-scale model of the Pioneer RPV was tested in the Wichita State University 7 by 10 foot wind tunnel to acquire its aerodynamic coefficients. A collateral benefit was the calculation of the Pioneer RPV's flight performance. Graphs and tables of the stability and control derivatives necessary for a six-degree-of-freedom simulation are included in this thesis. Additionally, performance predictions were calculated using these newly acquired aerodynamic data and engine test data from the Naval Air Propulsion Center. Preliminary comparisons indicate good correlation between the wind tunnel based performance predictions and actual flight data. RPV, UAV, Wind tunnel, Stability and control, Simulation, Flight performance.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 01, 1991
- Accession Number
- ADA247028
Entities
People
- Robert M. Bray
Organizations
- Naval Postgraduate School