Analysis of the basic aerodynamic characteristics of an unmanned combat aerial vehicle based on a CAD model

This paper presents an overview of selected unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) designs to show the development of unmanned aircraft. In this context, the paper describes the application of CAD design in creating a 3D model in order to perform basic aerodynamic CFD simulations. The IAI Heron was selected for geometry modelling. Based on digital analyses of publicly available design materials and photographs, simplified models of the selected structure were created using the SolidWorks software. Basic aerodynamic characteristics of the developed geometric model of the AIA Heron were obtained by calculations made with ANSYS Fluent. The paper analyses the results obtained and compares them to data in the literature for a similar class of UAV. The prepared model will serve as a basis for future 3D prints. The developed CFD numerical model will be used for further comparative analysis and validation in wind tunnel tests.

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Opracowanie rekordu ze środków MNiSW, umowa nr POPUL/SP/0154/2024/02 w ramach programu "Społeczna odpowiedzialność nauki II" - moduł: Popularyzacja nauki (2025).