Preliminary Development of a VTOL Unmanned Air Vehicle for the Close-Range Mission
Abstract
The preliminary development of a full-scale Vertical Takeoff and Landing (VTOL) Unmanned Air Vehicle (UAV) for the Close-Range mission was completed at the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS). The vehicle was based on half- scale ducted-fan investigations performed at the UAV Flight Research Lab. The resulting design is a fixed-duct, tail-sitter UAV with a canard-configured horizontal stabilizer. Major airframe components are used from previous UAVs and include the wings from a U. S. Army Aquila and the ducted fan from the U.S. Marine Corps AROD. Accomplishments include: (1) the design and fabrication of a carry-through spar and (2) the design and construction of an engine test stand. The through spar was designed using finite element analysis and constructed from composite materials. The purpose of the test stand is to measure torque, horsepower, and thrust of an entire ducted fan or an individual engine. Completion of this thesis will pave the way for future NPS research into the growing interest in VTOL UAV technology. Unmanned air vehicle, UAV, Tilting Ducted Fan (TDF), Tailsitter, Aquila, AROD, Thrust stand, Torque stand, Composite.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Sep 29, 1992
- Accession Number
- ADA263514
Entities
People
- Gregory A. Kress
Organizations
- Naval Postgraduate School