Rapid, International Design and Test of a Hybrid-Powered, Blended-Wing Body Unmanned Aerial Vehicle

摘要

Student engineering teams collaborated across three international universities to develop a 3 m wingspan unmanned aircraft in a single academic year. This aircraft, named Hyperion, is inspired by the NASA/Boeing X48-B blended wing body, and serves as a test platform for high efficiency aerodynamics and propulsion. The design concept includes a novel hybrid gas-electric propulsion system developed by a University of Colorado spinout company, Tigon EnerTec. The aircraft features a high-lift blended-wing body design, composite materials, and advanced flight controls, and was successfully flight tested in the Spring of 2011. Students at the University of Colorado, the University of Stuttgart, Germany, and the University of Sydney, Australia, benefited greatly from the multi-national design and delocalized manufacturing, which was conceived to simulate modern industry practices. Hyperion's unique architecture and advanced subsystems establish novel technologies that can be incorporated into UAV, general aviation, or commercial markets.