Résumé:
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.
