UAV Aerodynamics

In many ways, the aerodynamic issues important to UAVs are

similar to those for manned aircraft. However, certain classes of
UAVs operate quite differently from manned aircraft and present
different aerodynamic design problems.

Aerodynamic development for UAVs relies strongly on linearized aerodynamics,

especially for aeroelasticity and control.

The presence of mixed laminar and turbulent flows, the importance of transition,
the appearance of significant aeroelastic effects, and in some cases the presence
of vortex-dominated flow fields make it difficult to conduct complete vehicle
aerodynamic studies using available computational tools.

The low Reynolds numbers of many UAVs makes the use of wind tunnel models
very attractive, and most UAV development involves the creation of substantial
experimental databases for performance and control studies.

However, very few facilities are suitable for dynamic testing of very
maneuverable UAVs (such as UCAVs and HSM vehicles).
Parasitic Drag
Parasitic drag is made up out of many different specific types of drag. We
need to be concerned mainly with form, skin friction, and interference
drags.
Form drag is the drag caused just by the air having to work its way
around the airplane. This is probably what you think of when you think of
drag. It can be reduced by having a more streamlined airplane shape.
Skin friction drag is proportional to the surface area of the airplane. The
surface area is also called the wetted area, meaning the area of the
airplane that would get wet if the airplane were submerged in water. The
smaller the airplane, the lower the skin friction drag.
Interference drag is when one part of the airplane joins another and the
air has to work its way around the junction. For example, when the wing
joins the fuselage. This is probably the least understood type of drag
among airplane designers.
The different types of parasitic drag are proportional to the square of the
air speed. This means that if you double the air speed, you quadruple the
parasitic drag. This also means that, if you are trying to go fast, even a
small reduction in parasitic drag can make a big different in the top end
speed.
Induced Drag
Induced drag is the drag due to the generation of lift.
An airplane wing generates lift by having a lower air pressure
over the wing than below it. This air pressure has to equalize
at the wing tips. Normally a vortex forms at the wing tips and
this represents lost energy. This lost energy is the induced
drag.
The higher the aspect ratio of the wing, the weaker these
vortices will be. That is a primary reason why airplanes with
long wings, like gliders, are more efficient.
The more lift you try and produce from a wing, the stronger
the vortices. So the slower you go, the stronger they get. The
induced drag is inversely proportional to the square of the
air speed. This is the exact opposite behavior of the parasitic
drag.
 High-Altitude, Long-Endurance UAVs

Induced Drag

The standard approach to reducing induced drag is to increase wingspan

Large span, high-aspect-ratio wings pose difficulties, ranging from storage and
transport to aeroelastic control, in addition to the performance penalties
associated with the high unit-weights of the wings. Vortex drag can also be
reduced by nonplanar lifting systems, including winglets, joined wings, C-wings,

HALE UAVs have high-aspect-ratio wings and fly in low-density conditions,

often at low speeds, airflow is characterized by low Reynolds numbers