Design of Lightweight Blended-Wing-Body MALE UAV with Solar-Extended Endurance Via Novel Lattice Structures

Abstract

This thesis details the design and validation of a novel Blended-Wing-Body (BWB) MediumAltitude, Long-Endurance (MALE) UAV, developed to meet the challenging performance requirements of the Algerian Space Agency (ASAL). The research addresses the need for a platform capable of extended endurance with a significant payload, a gap not filled by conventional designs. A custom Multidisciplinary Design Optimization (MDO) framework was created to produce an aerodynamically efficient airframe, yielding a final design with a predicted endurance of 7.4 hours. The aircraft’s performance and flight characteristics were then rigorously validated. This validation process integrated high-fidelity Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) with experimental data from wind tunnel testing of a physical prototype. The results provide a definitive confirmation of the aircraft’s inherent stability. A negative pitching moment slope was observed across all analyses, guaranteeing static stability, while subsequent simulations confirmed all critical flight modes are dynamically stable. This work successfully delivers a complete, validated design for a next-generation UAV and establishes a repeatable computational workflow, providing a foundational platform for future national scientific and technological development. Keywords Blended-Wing-Body MALE UAV; solar-extended endurance; lattice structures; multidisciplinary design optimization; computational fluid dynamics ; wind tunnel testing; flight stability; Algerian Space Agency.