Task-Specific Airfoil Design for Fixed-Wing UAVs in High-Climb Reconnaissance Missions: A CST and XFOIL-Based Approach

Authors : Yunus Çelik

Pages : 66-84

Doi:10.46810/tdfd.1762609

View : 100 | Download : 194

Publication Date : 2025-12-30

Article Type : Research Paper

Abstract :This study presents a systematic airfoil optimisation framework for fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) operating in high-climb reconnaissance missions. Emphasising the climb phase, critical for early surveillance and mission efficiency, the approach combines Class-Shape Transformation (CST) geometry parameterisation with XFOIL-based aerodynamic simulations. Three baseline airfoils (NLF1015, SG6042, TL54) were modified through CST to produce optimised variants. The climb phase was segmented into four altitude-dependent intervals, each analysed using a weighted angle-of-attack (AoA) strategy to reflect realistic aerodynamic demands across varying atmospheric conditions. Simulation results indicate significant improvements in lift-to-drag ratio, climb rate, and time-to-altitude for the optimised designs. The SG6042-derived variant delivered the most balanced performance, with strong lift and stable aerodynamic efficiency. The TL54-based profile achieved the lowest drag, favourable in energy-constrained scenarios. In contrast, the NLF1015-based variant showed limited improvement due to high drag sensitivity at elevated AoA. This study demonstrates the value of phase-specific aerodynamic optimisation in UAV design and supports the use of CST and XFOIL as efficient tools for early-stage performance refinement. The framework offers a foundation for future work involving higher-fidelity CFD models and multi-objective optimisation methods.
Keywords : Hava Profili Optimizasyonu, Sabit Kanatlı İHA, Tırmanış Performansı, CST Yöntemi, XFOIL Simülasyonu

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