Wang, Liangxiu (Fudan University), Li, Han (Fudan University), Liu, Yunxiao (Fudan University), Ai, Jianliang (Fudan University)

Design and Realization of a Cable-Drogue Aerial Recharging Device for Small Electric Fixed-Wing UAVs

Scheduled for presentation during the Regular Session "UAS Applications V" (ThC5), Thursday, June 8, 2023, 14:40−15:00, Room 466

2023 International Conference on Unmanned Aircraft Systems (ICUAS), June 6-9, 2023, Lazarski University, Warsaw, Poland

This information is tentative and subject to change. Compiled on April 23, 2024

Abstract

As the application scope of small electric fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) becomes increasingly broad, the limitation of endurance caused by the battery technology is also becoming more evident. This paper proposes a cable-drogue aerial recharging method to solve this problem based on the aerial refueling technology of fuel-powered aircraft. We designed and built a cable-drogue aerial recharging device for small electric fixed-wing UAVs. Using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) numerical simulations and drogue-towing flight experiments, the drag and motion characteristics of a cable-drogue model were obtained, verifying the effectiveness of the drogue-design modeling method. Finally, simulated charging tests of the aerial recharging device was completed, and the feasibility of the cable-drogue aerial recharging method were conducted.