A Flexible Wing Unmanned Aerial Research System

CIRA is currently designing an Unmanned Aerial Research System, featuring high structural flexibility and light weight, code named HAPD. The project is framed within the Italian Aerospace Research Program, under the “UAV” Chapter.

This UAS is mainly aimed at developing and validating advanced modeling methodologies for flexible aircrafts, where structural natural frequencies may overlap with flight dynamics frequencies. This peculiar condition challenges the command and control logics, as it requires an accurate modeling of the elastic behavior of the aircraft together with an actuation policy able to guarantee that maneuvering will not result in structural modes excitation. The vehicle will be given both remote piloting functions, either fully direct or mediated by a stability and control augmentation system, and fully autonomous flight capabilities.

This UAS will also be used to provide CIRA and the whole scientific community with a valuable testing platform to support validation of flight technologies and carry out flight testing.