Extended Range Tactical Resupply Using Tailless UAV
Abstract
An alternative approach for precision aerial delivery utilizing a flying wing for
controllable forward glide is presented. Although effective, current delivery methods
either display a lack of control, or require close standoff distances, potentially endangering aircraft personnel as well as bystanders. Hardware-in-the-loop simulations provide
an efficient method for evaluating various wing designs and actuation configurations.
Four control surface configurations are presented and evaluated, encompassing traditional
aircraft and ram-air parafoil control approaches. Fixed-wing and multirotor unmanned
aircraft-basedflight tests were conducted to evaluate the controllability and handling performance of the various configurations of both a fixed wing model and a model with collapsing wings. A manufacturing process was developed to allow repeatable results in the
field using cheap, mostly disposable materials. A powered flying wing model was used to
maximize data collection in later stages of software development. Data collected during
flight tests was used to create a model of the system and develop a Nonlinear Dynamic
Inversion controller for autonomous flight. The NDI controller was able to provide stable
flight in pitch, but will need more development to control yaw, instead an intentional bias
was built in to show proof of concept for direct yaw control. The results demonstrate the
feasibility of the flying wing-based aerial delivery; however, significant challenges remain
regarding the stability and scalability of the system.
Table of Contents
Introduction -- Background and literature review -- Hardware development -- Software and control development -- Flight results and discussion -- Conclusion -- Appendix A. Supplementary figures
Degree
M.S.