Design, Manufacturing, and Flight Testing of an Experimental Flying Wing UAV

This paper presents the design, manufacturing, and flight testing of an electric-powered experimental flying wing unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). The design process starts with defining the performance requirements including the stall speed, maximal speed, cruise altitude, absolute ceiling, and turn radius and speed. The wing loading and associated power loading are obtained based on the defined performance requirements. The wing area, UAV mass, and power requirements are determined from the endurance and payload requirements. The power requirement determines the motor size. Aerodynamics and stability designs are obtained based on the selected airfoil and obtained wing area. After completing the design, the UAV is manufactured using composite materials. The UAV is equipped with an AXi 4130/20 kv305 brushless motor and a Pixhawk flight control board. Its total weight is 8.6 kg. Flight tests were conducted to evaluate the UAV’s performance and dynamic characteristics and to demonstrate the success of the design.