group
What campus are you from?
Daytona Beach
Authors' Class Standing
John McSwiggin, Senior Cooper Goodnight, Senior Victor Kovich, Senior Roman Linkugel, Senior Vikram Dwarakanath, Senior
Lead Presenter's Name
John McSwiggin
Faculty Mentor Name
Kimberly Heinzer
Abstract
The RS-1 Twilight is a hybrid-electric, endurance drone intended to meet VerdeGo Aero’s request for proposal (RFP) of a surveillance aircraft design using one of their hybrid-electric powerplants. This clean sheet design was created for one of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University’s AE 420 Preliminary Design classes, intended to maintain 18+ hours of endurance, a combat radius of 200 nautical miles, and a useful load of 1,200+ pounds. Using textbook methods, aerodynamic simulations in open-source software, and insights from competitor aircraft, the RS-1’s sizing, performance, stability, and mission readiness were evaluated. Design iterations resulted in an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) featuring a high-aspect ratio wing, Y-tail, and VerdeGo Aero’s VH-3, a 350-kW hybrid powerplant. The RS-1’s payload flexibility and efficient aerodynamics/propulsion give it excellent mission readiness and unmatched endurance in its class. This presentation discusses the aircraft’s design requirements and the chosen preliminary concept, focusing on aerodynamics, performance, stability and control, structure, and market analysis.
Did this research project receive funding support from the Office of Undergraduate Research.
No
Development of a Hybrid-Electric Surveillance Aircraft
The RS-1 Twilight is a hybrid-electric, endurance drone intended to meet VerdeGo Aero’s request for proposal (RFP) of a surveillance aircraft design using one of their hybrid-electric powerplants. This clean sheet design was created for one of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University’s AE 420 Preliminary Design classes, intended to maintain 18+ hours of endurance, a combat radius of 200 nautical miles, and a useful load of 1,200+ pounds. Using textbook methods, aerodynamic simulations in open-source software, and insights from competitor aircraft, the RS-1’s sizing, performance, stability, and mission readiness were evaluated. Design iterations resulted in an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) featuring a high-aspect ratio wing, Y-tail, and VerdeGo Aero’s VH-3, a 350-kW hybrid powerplant. The RS-1’s payload flexibility and efficient aerodynamics/propulsion give it excellent mission readiness and unmatched endurance in its class. This presentation discusses the aircraft’s design requirements and the chosen preliminary concept, focusing on aerodynamics, performance, stability and control, structure, and market analysis.