Uninhabited aircraft design optimised for close formation air-refuelling flight
Author(s)
Nilsuwan, Sma
Type
Thesis
Abstract
Uninhabited combat aerial vehicles (UCAVs) are intended for carrying out high-risk
combat missions with a high degree of precision, effectiveness and efficiency and
without endangering pilots’ lives. An air refuelling system for UCAVs could bring
out their full potential in wartime action, by extending their range capability and
increasing their airborne time. Hence, the main aim of this PhD research programme
was to develop a design and optimisation methodology for an innovative concept
consisting of a large uninhabited tanker and a number of UCAVs flying in a close
formation, with an optimised and fully autonomous air refuelling capability. The
close formation flight of this tanker and UCAVs combination provides aerodynamic
benefits which together with an optimised air-to-air refuelling sequence will result in
a significantly extended combat radius and capability without unnecessarily
compromising the UCAVs’ physical size. With a stealth design approach, the
proposed combination could fly directly to a faraway destination without any
intermediate stops, hence minimizing any risk of detection, with significant fuel and
time savings. To fully exploit the potential advantages the above combination, both
the autonomous tanker and the UCAV concepts have been designed through
specially developed and separate synthesis methodologies and each aircraft was
subsequently optimised for its respective operational role. An investigation into
formation flight aerodynamics has also been conducted. A method for evaluating the
associated aerodynamic benefits has been developed using a modified vortex-lattice
approach, to automatically locate an optimal formation position for each aircraft in
flight. A further method has also been developed to optimise the air refuelling
sequence of the UCAVs by utilising the design synthesis and formation flight results
aiming to maximise a range objective function. The above design synthesis and
optimisation methodologies have all been integrated into an automated program
written in Visual Basic.NET, featuring Graphical User Interfaces for simpler, faster
and repetitive implementation.
combat missions with a high degree of precision, effectiveness and efficiency and
without endangering pilots’ lives. An air refuelling system for UCAVs could bring
out their full potential in wartime action, by extending their range capability and
increasing their airborne time. Hence, the main aim of this PhD research programme
was to develop a design and optimisation methodology for an innovative concept
consisting of a large uninhabited tanker and a number of UCAVs flying in a close
formation, with an optimised and fully autonomous air refuelling capability. The
close formation flight of this tanker and UCAVs combination provides aerodynamic
benefits which together with an optimised air-to-air refuelling sequence will result in
a significantly extended combat radius and capability without unnecessarily
compromising the UCAVs’ physical size. With a stealth design approach, the
proposed combination could fly directly to a faraway destination without any
intermediate stops, hence minimizing any risk of detection, with significant fuel and
time savings. To fully exploit the potential advantages the above combination, both
the autonomous tanker and the UCAV concepts have been designed through
specially developed and separate synthesis methodologies and each aircraft was
subsequently optimised for its respective operational role. An investigation into
formation flight aerodynamics has also been conducted. A method for evaluating the
associated aerodynamic benefits has been developed using a modified vortex-lattice
approach, to automatically locate an optimal formation position for each aircraft in
flight. A further method has also been developed to optimise the air refuelling
sequence of the UCAVs by utilising the design synthesis and formation flight results
aiming to maximise a range objective function. The above design synthesis and
optimisation methodologies have all been integrated into an automated program
written in Visual Basic.NET, featuring Graphical User Interfaces for simpler, faster
and repetitive implementation.
Date Issued
2010
Date Awarded
2010-03
Copyright Statement
Attribution NoDerivatives 4.0 International Licence (CC BY-ND)
Advisor
Serghides, Varnavas
Creator
Nilsuwan, Sma
Publisher Department
Aeronautics
Publisher Institution
Imperial College London
Qualification Level
Doctoral
Qualification Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)