Stability Analysis for a Concept Design of Vertical Take-off and Landing (VTOL) Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV)

Abstract

This study presents a concept hybrid UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) design that is capable of a conventional fixed-wing as well as VTOL (Vertical Takeoff and Landing) features. The main aim of the study is to conduct a stability analysis for this concept VTOL UAV design. Only longitudinal stability is preferred at this stage for the operation when UAV switches from VTOL to fixed-wing configuration. The stability of the concept design was analyzed by developing a special MATLAB program. The results show that the concept design is statically and dynamically stable especially during the transformation phase from VTOL to fixed-wing configuration. This design concept can be used for several military operations in rugged areas such as surveillance, search and rescue, border security, and target missions.