On the Ballistic Tube-Launch of a Tailsitter Unmanned Aerial System

Abstract:
This paper presents the design, development, and successful demonstration of the first-ever ballistically tube-launched tailsitter unmanned aerial system. The vehicle expands upon the capabilities of existing tube-launched systems by simultaneously integrating the hovering capability of a rotary-wing aircraft with the efficiency and speed of a fixed-wing aircraft. To achieve this, the platform's design incorporates a novel coaxial thrust-vectoring propeller system for control in vertical flight and a unique foldable wing design for ultra-compact storage in the launch tube. The aeromechanics of the foldable wings during deployment are studied through a combination of wind tunnel experiments and flight dynamics model simulations, and the results are used to formulate a methodology for executing the ballistic launch. Simulations are also performed to characterize the robustness of the system against asynchronous deployment of the left and right wings. Experimental data, collected from flying a prototype in vertical, horizontal, and transitioning flight, demonstrate the aircraft’s flying performance. The study ultimately culminates with a demonstration of the prototype being rapidly launched from a tube at 25 m/s (56 mph) and autonomously unfolding, stabilizing, and transitioning into self-powered cruising flight.

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