Browse Topic: Aircraft

Items (17,506)

Practical Predefined-Time Observer for Hypersonic Vehicle Attitude Control

2026-99-2328

To be published on 10/30/2026

This article proposes a practical predefined-time observer for hypersonic vehicle attitude control. To improve the convergence performance, a practical predefined-time condition is introduced into the observer. This design provides high flexibility and allows for a precise prediction of the maximum settling time, which does not depend on initial conditions. Moreover, the actual settling time can be adjusted by modifying the preset parameters. Numerical simulations are carried out to confirm the theoretical properties and to illustrate the observer’s effectiveness.

Zhang, Yufei, Yang, Hua, Chen, Weifang

Target Positioning Method for Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Tracking Based on Beidou

2026-99-2353

To be published on 10/30/2026

In order to support successful tracking and monitoring tasks in different environments, drones need to quickly and accurately identify targets. This paper studies a drone combat target positioning method, with a focus on the BeiDou satellite navigation system and its performance under different environmental conditions. A complete system has been designed, including flight control system, environmental sensors, data transmission and processing system, aiming to achieve precise positioning and target tracking of unmanned aerial vehicles. This paper uses on-site testing to explain the coverage range and stability positioning accuracy of ranging signals in different environments. Experimental data shows that the BDS system has good positioning error performance for unmanned aerial vehicles, with an average error of 46.52 cm. BDS positioning time is usually short, with a maximum positioning time of 780ms and a minimum positioning time of 224ms. However, the BDS system still needs improvement in terms of dynamic environmental adaptability, multi-target tracking, anti-interference ability, and adaptability to harsh environmental conditions. Future work will focus on algorithm optimization, hardware technology improvement, and data security to enhance system performance.

Tao, Zhiping, Zhang, Chenghao, Hou, Bo, Song, Juan, Yuan, Peng, Liu, Xianyang

Optimization Method for UAV Scheduling Based on Beidou

2026-99-2352

To be published on 10/30/2026

Currently, UAVs are increasingly used in remote sensing monitoring, logistics and distribution, emergency rescue and recreational aerial photography, etc., which puts higher requirements on wireless networks, i.e., how to allocate limited wireless resources in real-time, efficiently and fairly to ensure that a large number of UAVs can work together in complex environments and maintain high-quality communication services. This paper investigates an optimisation method for UAV scheduling based on the BeiDou satellite navigation system, which improves the accuracy and efficiency of UAV mission execution by utilising the high-precision positioning and time synchronisation services provided by the BeiDou system. The results of the experiment showed that as the number of missions increased from 10 to 50, the average mission completion time increased from 8.3 to 12.5 minutes, the average speed increased from 30 to 34 km/h, the average energy consumption increased from 0.8 to 1.2 kWh, the average distance flown increased from 12 to 22 km, the communication success rate decreased slightly from 99.2 to 98.2%, the resource utilization rate increased from 85.1% to 87.5%. These results show that the method performs well in terms of task completion time, energy consumption, communication success rate and resource utilisation, which provides strong support for the application of UAVs in the fields of logistics and distribution, emergency rescue, and so on.

Ji, Hongbin, Jiang, Kexin, Zhang, Dongxue, Bai, Yanhui, Liu, He, Zhang, Shuangna

A Threshold-Constrained Extended Kalman Filter for TDOA-Based UAV Localization

2026-99-2348

To be published on 10/30/2026

Time Difference of Arrival (TDOA) combined with the Extended Kalman Filter (EKF) is a widely used approach for dynamic target localization. However, in practical UAV localization scenarios, the EKF may suffer from divergence caused by nonlinear measurement characteristics, initialization errors, and measurement disturbances. To improve the robustness of EKF-based TDOA localization, this paper proposes a threshold-constrained EKF method, in which the velocity components of the updated state are limited within a physically reasonable range. The proposed strategy suppresses abnormal state updates and improves tracking stability under noisy conditions. Simulation results under straight, square, and circular trajectories, as well as outdoor experiments with real UAV signal data, show that the proposed method achieves better localization accuracy than the conventional TDOA-EKF. In the real-world tests, the mean localization error is reduced by 38.31% and 74.36% for two flight paths, respectively. The proposed method provides a simple and practical way to improve the robustness of TDOA-based UAV localization.

Lv, Zhenbin, Li, Yingying, Shen, Huaming, Zhou, Haosu, Wang, Anping, Zou, Weiwen

Design and CFD Simulation Analysis of Cross-Medium Aircraft

2026-99-2313

To be published on 10/30/2026

Composite wing trans-medium aircraft integrate the high-speed cruise efficiency of fixed-wing aircraft with the vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) flexibility of rotary-wing aircraft, boasting significant application potential in marine environmental monitoring and other fields. This paper designs a trans-medium variable tiltrotor aircraft configuration, which adopts a foldable main wing to achieve adaptive adjustment of the aerodynamic profile, equips a rear tiltrotor to satisfy both VTOL and cruise propulsion requirements, and incorporates a T- tail layout to avoid rotor downwash interference. Concurrently, a worm-gear-driven wing morphing mechanism and a servo-driven rotor tilting mechanism are developed to realize reliable multi-mode switching. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) numerical simulations are performed using ANSYS Fluent software, and a comparative analysis is conducted on the aerodynamic characteristics and flow field features of the two modes at varying speeds and angles of attack. Simulation and test results demonstrate that the lift-drag ratio peaks at an angle of attack of approximately 10° under cruise conditions, exhibiting excellent cruise efficiency. Flow field visualization results indicate that the flow field adheres well to the aircraft main body, and the flow field transition at the fusion zone between the T-tail and fuselage is smooth, which effectively reduces local eddy current interference. Within the high-efficiency angle of attack range, the overall aircraft flow field is uniformly distributed and the evolution of vortex structures is controllable, presenting favorable flow field stability. Additionally, the study reveals that flow separation and vortex structures in the wing-fuselage transition zone are the key factors affecting the stability of the overall aircraft flow field.

Hu, Yajun, Zhou, Liao, Guo, Mingming, Li, Boling, Tang, Wenyi

Abuse Takeoff Flight Test Technology and Risk Control for Civil Airplane

2026-99-2318

To be published on 10/30/2026

Abuse takeoff flight test is a necessary subject for airworthiness certification of civil transport airplane, which simulates the safety of the airplane in the event of inadvertent operation during takeoff. It is difficult and risky to test flight, which brings great challenges to the organization and implementation of flight test. Abuse takeoff flight tests include out-of-trim takeoff, early rotation takeoff, over rotation takeoff, early and over rotation takeoff and early and rapid rotation takeoff. Through theoretical calculation and reasonable analysis, the flight test methods and risk control measures of abuse takeoff are studied, the test results are given, and the factors affecting the flight test results are analyzed to ensure that the test results meet the requirements of airworthiness regulations.

Qu, Feizhou

The Statistical Analysis of Commercial Flight Data for Defining the Payload-Range Performance of the Aircraft Conceptual Scheme Design

2026-99-2311

To be published on 10/30/2026

This research focuses on the application of statistical analysis of commercial flight data in aircraft conceptual scheme design. The payload-range performance of the commercial aircraft should be defined and analyzed by utilizing statistical methods during the conceptual scheme design, as it determines marketability. Statistical analysis is deemed essential due to the complexity and specific requirements of conceptual design. The research paradigm established in this study involves collecting and analyzing flight data of competitor aircrafts operating in the target market, using the OAG database as a foundation. This data is then utilized to build statistical models and conduct trade-off analysis. The results reveal that while the competitor aircraft has good route coverage, the conceptual scheme designed exhibits better payload-range performance, with a potential reduction in structural weight and better aerodynamic performance. Aircraft designers should take the imbalance in flight data between different airports, which is revealed by the application of statistical analysis, into consideration in conceptual scheme design. This study fills the gap between “market data-driven” and “performance modeling” in aircraft conceptual design, providing a reusable paradigm for subsequent research. The process of aircraft scheme design is a multi-disciplinary optimization process. When the range under certain payload of the concept scheme is already sufficient to cover the target market, how to conduct iterative design in conjunction with other indicators such as economy and commercial range is a problem worthy of in-depth study.

Gu, Xiangying, Cheng, Zhiyu

PINNs-Based Parameter Estimation for Gradient Descent

2026-99-2303

To be published on 10/30/2026

To address the joint estimation of state and parameters for fixed-wing aircraft in wind gradient environments, this paper proposes a high-precision identification method based on a physics-informed neural network. By integrating wind gradient models with flight dynamics equations, a multi-objective optimization framework combining data-driven approaches with physical constraints is established. Employing polynomial time embedding and a dual-branch network architecture, coupled with a dynamic training strategy, simultaneous estimation of flight state and wind gradient parameters is achieved. Experimental results demonstrate that this method achieves approximately 7% parameter estimation error while accurately reconstructing unobserved attitude information. Requiring only four-dimensional observation data, this approach provides an effective solution for wind gradient glide navigation in low-cost aircraft.

Wu, Ting, Bai, Zhuoyue, Gao, Xianzhong

Research on Failure Mode Verification of Civil Aircraft Based on Reliability Data

2026-99-2314

To be published on 10/30/2026

To verify the accuracy and completeness of FMEA and FTA, this paper proposes a comprehensive failure mode verification method based on reliability data. This method collects multi-source reliability data and identify actual failure modes occurring in equipment during operation firstly, thereby compiling a list of actual failure modes. Next, this list is compared with the FMEA report from the design phase to verify the failure modes themselves. A deeper qualitative verification of the causes, mechanisms, and impacts of the failures is then conducted, leading to the correction and updating of the FTA logical structure to ensure consistency between the safety analysis model and the actual failure logic.Building upon the qualitative verification, the method proceeds to quantitative verification. A comparative analysis is conducted between the actual failure rates of the failure modes and the estimated values in the FMEA. Using the validated failure rate data, the probability of the FTA top event is recalculated and compared against the safety target probability specified in airworthiness regulations to achieve quantitative verification of the failure condition probability. As a core innovation and enhancement of the method, this paper introduces sensitivity analysis. Through tools such as calculating Birnbaum importance and plotting tornado plots, it quantitatively assesses the sensitivity and impact of uncertainties in the failure rate parameters of each bottom event on the probability of failure condition, thereby identifying the key failure modes. The research findings provide theoretical support and a practical engineering foundation for evaluating the actual reliability level of the aircraft fleet, improving the accuracy of safety analysis during the design phase, and guiding preventive maintenance and design improvements.

Han, Bing, Li, Haiwei

Hybrid TDOA/AOA Localization and Tracking Method for Multi-Station Cooperative Passive UAV Detection

2026-99-2362

To be published on 10/30/2026

To address geometric precision degradation and tracking divergence in single TDOA or AOA systems, this paper proposes a multi-station UAV tracking method integrating TDOA/AOA hybrid localization with nonlinear filtering to overcome precision degradation and tracking divergence in single-sensor systems. A Weighted Least Squares (WLS) method via pseudo-linearization provides reliable initial coordinate estimations, followed by an Unscented Kalman Filter (UKF) for continuous trajectory tracking. Simulations demonstrate that the proposed architecture eliminates network blind zones and robustly handles abrupt target maneuvers. Compared to the standard EKF, it rapidly suppresses peak RMSE to ~22 m and achieves a steady-state error of 10-15 m. This approach offers a high-precision, rapidly converging passive tracking solution for urban low-altitude defense.

Shen, Huaming, Wang, Yiting, Lv, Zhenbin, Zhou, Haosu, Lu, Wenbin

Machining Deformation Control of 5A06 Aluminum Alloy Aircraft Skin

2026-99-2343

To be published on 10/30/2026

Aircraft skin is a critical external structural component that provides aerodynamic profile, sustains and transfers aerodynamic loads, and protects internal systems from harsh environments. High machining precision is essential to ensure assembly accuracy and flight performance. However, large scale thin walled skin components are prone to significant machining deformation due to their low stiffness. Traditional deformation control methods, which relying heavily on experiments and full-process simulations, are inefficient and costly for industrial applications. To address this issue, this paper establishes a correlation model among machining parameters, residual stress, equivalent bending moment, and machining deformation. Single-factor experiments are conducted to reveal the effects of spindle speed, feed rate, and cutting depth on surface residual stress. Based on plate-shell theory, the relationship between residual stress and equivalent bending moment is established. The quantitative relationship between equivalent bending moment and machining deformation of the skin is obtained via finite element simulation modeling. Finally, a deformation control strategy for the skin during finish machining is established by optimizing the cutting depth. Experimental results show that after parameter optimization, the overall machining deformation of the 5A06 aluminum alloy skin is reduced by 81%, and the maximum deformation is controlled within 0.17 mm, which fully meets the aeronautical assembly requirements. This work provides an efficient and low-cost process optimization strategy for the machining deformation control of large weak-stiffness thin-walled components.

Chen, Shu-Guang, Wang, Jing-Kai, Wu, Chao, Wang, Tian-Rui, Yuan, Hao

Optimization of Airport Surface Operations for Multiple Flight-Test Aircraft Based on a Wolf Pack Algorithm

2026-99-2357

To be published on 10/30/2026

To improve the efficiency of airport surface operations involving multiple aircraft types and multiple flight-test aircraft at the same airport, this study investigates the taxi-route optimization problem for flight-test aircraft. First, a runway-exit-time optimization model is established by modeling the landing rollout process, with minimum runway-occupancy time as the objective, so as to determine the optimal rapid-exit taxiway. Second, a multi-aircraft taxi-route optimization model is formulated by incorporating taxi-conflict constraints and is solved using an improved wolf pack algorithm. The case study shows that the proposed method can effectively reduce the total taxi time of multiple flight-test aircraft and shorten the runway-occupancy time of arriving aircraft, thereby demonstrating good feasibility and practical engineering value.

Wang, Tong

A Study on Energy Management Strategies for Range-Extended UAVs Based on A-ECMS

2026-99-2333

To be published on 10/30/2026

An adaptive equivalent consumption minimization strategy (A-ECMS) is proposed for a hydrogen fuel-cell range-extended UAV hybrid power system composed of a PEM fuel cell, a lithium-ion battery and a supercapacitor. The equivalent factor is updated online by a PID-based SOC feedback mechanism to improve the adaptability of conventional ECMS under variable flight loads. Under the same mission profile and the same initial and terminal SOC constraints, A-ECMS consumes 4.6277 g of hydrogen, reducing hydrogen consumption by 46.90%, 67.51% and 58.42% compared with PID control, conventional ECMS and state-machine control, respectively. Fuel-cell power fluctuation and battery SOC deviation are also reduced.

Li, Mengda, Liu, Zitong

Design Consideration for Field-Loadable Software of Civil Aircraft

2026-99-2312

To be published on 10/30/2026

With the increasingly widespread application of airborne software in civil aircraft and the continuous growth of its functional complexity, the frequency of software modifications has risen significantly. The traditional factory-return loading mode leads to high operating costs and long maintenance cycles. Focusing on the design of field-loadable software for civil aircraft, this paper proposes a decision-making strategy for determining whether airborne software should be designed as field-loadable software. This strategy classifies airborne software into three categories, platform basic software, functional software, and database software. It puts forward the design principle that field-loadable design is mandatory for database software, preferred for functional software, and not mandatory for platform basic software. In addition, a multi-dimensional design deviation assessment model is constructed for software that cannot meet the above requirements. Functional software that is not designed as field-loadable and has not yet been installed on aircraft shall be evaluated from five dimensions: interconnection complexity, software characteristics, airline operation, commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) attributes, and competitor aircraft models. For functional software that is not designed as field-loadable but has already been installed on aircraft, three additional evaluation dimensions shall be included: the possibility of software modification, difficulty of optimization, and cost of optimization. Meanwhile, this paper analyses the airworthiness requirements to be considered in the design of field-loadable software, as well as the design considerations required to address problems arising in the delivery process, such as configuration identification Issue, granularity issue of field-loadable software packages and format issue of field-loadable software packages. The research provides a systematic reference for the design decision-making, airworthiness compliance and efficient delivery of civil aircraft field-loadable software, helping to shorten aircraft downtime and reduce airline operation costs.

Feng, Chen, Fan, Hui, Luo, Jialu

A Study on Gust Alleviation Based on Distributed Electric Propulsion

2026-99-2304

To be published on 10/30/2026

In a distributed electric-propulsion aircraft, multi-motor drive propellers distributed across the wings to provide the aircraft’s primary thrust. The electric control system enables rapid adjustment of propeller speed to control the overall attitude and flight path of the distributed electric propulsion aircraft. Furthermore, by utilizing the wake-induced acceleration effect generated by the propellers to alter the aerodynamic force distribution on the wing surfaces, it achieves gust attenuation. When encountering gusts, the PID control system adjusts the propeller slip to increase lift, thereby mitigating the effects of gusts on distributed electric propulsion aircraft. This paper employs PID control to regulate the steady-state performance of a distributed electric-propulsion aircraft under gusty conditions, with the objective of achieving the fastest return to a steady state. When encountering a headwind and a downdraft, the aircraft’s flight quality are severely disrupted; while airspeed, angle of attack, pitch angle, and rate of climb return to their original states or tend to stabilize, the effect of these forces causes the aircraft to lose height. After PID control is applied, under the influence of a tailwind disturbance, the aircraft’s descent under PID control is significantly less than under open-loop control, and it quickly returns to its original height and remains stable; Under the influence of downdraft turbulence, the aircraft under open-loop control is unable to return to its original height, whereas the aircraft under PID control drops slightly before returning to its original height.

Yang, Wenshuo, Yang, Youxu, Fu, Junquan, Shen, Junhui

HER-DETR: Lightweight UAV Object Detection Based on High-Frequency Enhancement and Multi-Scale Sparse Fusion

2026-99-2336

To be published on 10/30/2026

The rapid growth of the low-altitude economy has accelerated the deployment of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) technology in a wide range of applications, including power infrastructure inspection and disaster relief operations. These scenarios impose stringent real-time processing demands on onboard vision systems. However, aerial images are characterized by a high density of small and distant targets, which significantly weakens feature representation quality, and current state-of-the-art detection models carry substantial computational overhead that conflicts with the limited hardware resources available on embedded UAV platforms. This paper addresses both challenges simultaneously by proposing a novel lightweight, end-to-end detection framework designated the High-frequency Enhancement Retentive Detection Transformer (HER-DETR). The framework introduces three coordinated technical contributions. First, a lightweight backbone network termed the Cross Stage Partial High-frequency Enhancement Network is constructed. This backbone integrates a cross-stage high-frequency residual enhancement mechanism to alleviate feature attenuation commonly observed in small-target scenarios. Second, a Depthwise Intrascale High-Low Feature Interaction block is designed for intra-scale feature interaction at the highest semantic level, strengthening fine-grained representation through a dual-frequency decoupling strategy. Third, a Retention Feature Fusion module is developed as the core cross-layer feature fusion component, enabling bidirectional multi-scale feature integration via a lightweight sparse attention mechanism. Comprehensive experiments on the VisDrone2019 and HIT-UAV benchmark datasets confirm that HER-DETR achieves state-of-the-art performance. Compared with the RT-DETR-r18 baseline, the proposed framework improves mean average precision at a 0.50 intersection-over-union threshold by 2.0 percentage points on VisDrone2019 and by 1.6 percentage points on HIT-UAV, while simultaneously reducing model parameter count and computational floating-point operations by 41.6% and 35.3%, respectively. These results validate the framework’s capability to balance detection accuracy and computational efficiency for real-time UAV deployment.

Jiao, Minghai, Liang, Yinghan, Zhang, Ende, Kan, Shuang

Model-Based Flight Test Methodology Research for Transport Category Aircraft Stall

2026-99-2340

To be published on 10/30/2026

Model-based approaches have brought about a qualitative leap in enhancing flight test safety, improving the efficiency of concurrent engineering, and enabling knowledge reuse and sharing. Focusing closely on the engineering application of model-based methods in the field of stall flight testing, this paper systematically reviews the stall airworthiness certification requirements for transport-category aircraft. It proposes a stall flight test process model based on functional flow models and investigates a model-based design method for stall flight test point matrices. Furthermore, an improved practical approach for multi-disciplinary collaborative modeling, simulation, and compliance data analysis in stall flight testing is presented. Taking a specific aircraft type's stall flight test as an example, this paper provides a detailed description of model-based application cases across the pre-flight, in-flight, and post-flight phases.

Liu, Xu, Ding, Junliang

Comparative Numerical Study of Different Turbulence Modeling Approaches for Civil Aircraft Inlet Flows under Crosswind Conditions

2026-99-2331

To be published on 10/30/2026

This study constructs and validates a high-efficiency and high-fidelity adaptive Very Large Eddy Simulation (VLES) strategy based on user defined function(UDF) secondary development to investigate the complex and unsteady flow characteristics of civil aircraft intakes under crosswind conditions, conducting a comparative study of turbulence simulation methods across different hierarchies. Initially, the performance of traditional RANS turbulence models, including S-A, BSL k-ω, and SST k-ω, in simulating large-scale flow separation within intakes under crosswind conditions is evaluated, revealing that their applicability is limited. However, the predictive accuracy of RANS models can be improved to some extent by incorporating Explicit Algebraic Reynolds Stress Models (EARSM) and non-linear constitutive corrections. Under the maximum crosswind mass-flow condition, for complex flows dominated by shock and boundary-layer interaction, the SST model, high-resolution Large Eddy Simulation (LES), and the developed VLES model are compared. Furthermore, under variable crosswind mass-flow conditions, a comparative study on separation characteristics between the VLES and SST models is carried out. Finally, the simulation performance of the VLES model under installed nacelle conditions is verified. Research results indicate that the VLES model achieves superior near-wall boundary layer resolution while effectively mitigating the over-prediction of separation zone extent typically associated with LES, demonstrating higher accuracy without a significant increase in computational cost. Through verification via independent nacelle calculations, the VLES method shows a high degree of consistency with experimental data and non-linear SST model results in predicting separation characteristics under varying mass-flow rates, accurately reproducing the processes of shock-induced separation and boundary-layer reattachment. This research establishes the superiority of the VLES method in handling complex intake flow separation, laying a theoretical and technical foundation for its engineering application in the aerodynamic assessment of actual installed nacelles.

Jiang, Jintao, Han, Xingsi, Liu, Hao, Guo, Jin, Yu, Fan, Xu, Xiao

A Comparative Study on Aerodynamic Characteristics and Stability of Twin-Boom UAVs with Typical Tail Configurations Under Propeller Slipstream Interference

2026-99-2365

To be published on 10/30/2026

The present study concentrates on aerodynamic behavior and static stability characteristics, and propeller slipstream interference of twin- boom unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) with three typical tail configurations. This study adopts a coupled VSPAERO approach, which incorporates a VLM-based solving technique and the Actuator Disk Model. Simulation results under the no-slipstream baseline condition reveal that the inverted V-tail layout delivers the highest aerodynamic efficiency. Its lift/drag ratio is considerably superior to those of the U-tail and inverted U-tail designs. While all configurations maintain good stability in longitudinal and directional axes, only the U- tail exhibits lateral static stability. When propeller slipstream is introduced, the lift-to-drag ratio of all layouts decreases noticeably, mainly due to strong local low-pressure regions that substantially increase pressure drag. In addition, the slipstream has little influence on longitudinal static stability, leaving pitching moment characteristics nearly unchanged. Nevertheless, the swirling flow generated by the propeller effectively improves lateral stability. It enhances the stabilizing effect of the U-tail, turns the lateral instability of the inverted U-tail into stable behavior, and reduces the lateral unstable characteristics of the inverted V-tail. In addition, the findings show that the sideslip angle β’s impact on the yawing moment is affected by the angle of attack α. Coupling between α and β, as well as propeller slipstream, should be considered in directional stability analysis. Increasing propeller diameter appropriately improves aerodynamic efficiency and directional static stability, while placing the propeller at or slightly forward of the baseline position minimizes adverse tail interference.

Wen, Jiayi

Optimal Design and Analysis of Axial Gradient Buffer Structure Based on 2-DOF Flexible Hinge

2026-99-2356

To be published on 10/30/2026

Conventional unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) landing gears exhibit deficiencies including severe stress concentration, insufficient cushioning deformation capacity, and inadequate fatigue resistance during the landing impact process, which makes it difficult for them to meet the technical requirements of high-overload buffering conditions. Based on the elastic mechanics theory of the cantilever beam and using a two-degree-of-freedom (2-DOF) flexible hinge as the base, an analytical equation for the rotational stiffness of a 2-DOF flexible hinge in the direction was established. By combining the response surface methodology (RSM), the influence laws of key geometric parameters on the mechanical performance of the hinge were systematically analyzed. The optimal value range of the core structural parameters of this 2-DOF flexible hinge was determined as follows: the radius of the rounded corner R = 2.5 - 3.5 mm, the minimum thickness t = 1.5 - 2 mm, and the width a = 20 - 30 mm. Building on this foundation, an axial gradient columnar buffering structure incorporated with flexible hinges is proposed for the application of UAV landing buffering. Cross-verification between theoretical analysis and finite element simulation shows that the relative errors of structural deformation in each loading direction are merely 1.76% and 1.9%, respectively, which validates the accuracy and reliability of the proposed theoretical model. Parametric studies incorporating transient dynamic analyses under impact loading conditions elucidate that the maximal deflection and peak stress characteristics of the flexible hinge are positively correlated with the drop height and the structural connection angle. The outcomes of this research contribute a foundational theoretical framework and actionable technical support for facilitating the lightweight design and performance enhancement of flexible landing gears within high-load buffering systems of UAV.

Zhang, Qixian, Zhou, Jinhua, Zhang, Dongsheng, Wang, Jiashuai, Yang, Zengliang, Zhang, Yingxue

Optimization and Validation of a Lumbar Spine Model for Aviation Vertical Impact Simulation Based on THUMS

2026-99-2371

To be published on 10/30/2026

In assessing lumbar spine injuries of civil aircraft occupants under vertical impact, existing anthropomorphic test devices cannot accurately capture the injury mechanisms. Digital human body models, such as THUMS, are primarily developed for automotive crashes, and their default seated posture differs from that of real civil aircraft occupants. Although the THUMS model can be adjusted to better represent civil aircraft occupants’ seating posture, the mechanical response of the lumbar spine after adjustment has not been sufficiently validated. This limits the model’s reliable use in assessing lumbar spine injuries of civil aircraft occupants. To address this limitation, the THUMS lumbar spine model was modified to reflect aircraft seating posture and physiological lumbar lordosis, and the stiffness of key lumbar ligaments was systematically optimized. Following optimization, the model’s mechanical response curves under flexion, anterior shear, tension, and compression all fell within the post-mortem human subject (PMHS) response corridors, with deviations from the mean PMHS curves significantly reduced. Under the typical 14 g vertical impact specified by FAR 25.562, the optimized lumbar spine exhibited lower peak flexion moments at all lumbar levels, while the axial compressive load and predicted injury risk became more concentrated in the upper lumbar spine. These findings indicate that directly using the original THUMS model may underestimate injury risk in the upper lumbar region while overestimating it in the lower lumbar segments. Posture adjustment, lumbar curvature correction, and ligament stiffness optimization enhance model biofidelity, providing a more reliable basis for the assessment of occupant lumbar injuries.

Shi, Xiaopeng, Jiang, Zihao

Research on the Identification Method of Flow Modes during the Hypersonic Inlet Unstart/Restart Process

2026-99-2368

To be published on 10/30/2026

In air-breathing hypersonic flight, when the flow conditions upstream and downstream are not appropriate, the air inlet is prone to failure to start, which can lead to engine stall or even flight failure. Therefore, real-time identification methods for air inlet flow modes must be developed. This paper takes the hypersonic inlet as the research object. In the wind tunnel experiment, the switching of the inlet unstarting/restarting was achieved by changing the Angle of attack, and the shadow images during the mode switching process and the pressure signals of multiple wall measurement points were obtained. The study shows that the traditional modal recognition method based on pressure amplitude, standard deviation, and power spectrum has a weak ability to recognize the starting/unstarting flow modes of the inlet in this paper. For this purpose, this paper proposes a flow mode recognition method based on pressure difference and standard deviation, which can achieve good recognition ability for each measurement point and has strong applicability. In addition, the method identifies the unstart point and the restart point separately instead of using a single detection threshold for judgment, significantly improving the accuracy of flow mode identification.

Si, Jinglin, Pi, Cuixuan, Xu, Shangcheng, Wang, Yunlong

The Emerging Strategies of Energy Management System for Fuel Cell Hybrid Aircraft in the Low-Altitude Economy

2026-99-2919

10/19/2026

The low-altitude economy has been established as a strategic emerging industry, driving the development of various new aircraft types, including electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) vehicles and industrial unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). In this development, proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC)/lithium-battery hybrid propulsion systems face challenges in balancing fuel economy, stack durability, and implementability under stochastic aerodynamic loads. Six energy management strategies (EMS) are systematically evaluated in this study, namely Thermostat, Fuzzy Logic, State Machine (SM-EMS), Power Following (PF-EMS), Dynamic Programming (DP-EMS), and a proposed load-disturbance-based method (LD-EMS). These strategies are tested on three distinct platforms, including a 2 kW fully simulated system, a 2 kW hardware-based setup incorporating a real PEMFC stack and Li-FePO4 battery, and a 30 kW hybrid testbed. Experiments were conducted under synthetic stochastic load profiles representative of gust-induced power transients. The results indicate that LD-EMS achieves a total equivalent hydrogen consumption of 2.71 g (close to the DP-EMS optimum of 2.64 g and 19 % lower than SM-EMS) while reducing fuel cell state-of-health degradation to only 0.0005 % over the test cycle, which is an order of magnitude better than PF-EMS and SM-EMS. On the 30 kW platform under two distinct challenging profiles, LD-EMS maintains fuel cell efficiency above 90 %, keeps the stack operating in high-efficiency zone, and limits power switching events to 97 and 212 respectively over test cycles, demonstrating robust scalability and transient suppression capability without requiring prior mission knowledge. A five-dimensional evaluation framework is introduced to compare the six EMS. In accordance with this framework, platform-specific selection guidelines are established. Thermostat EMS is recommended for small industrial UAVs where hardware simplicity dominates; LD-EMS is the optimal choice for passenger eVTOL under unpredictable gust conditions; and SM-EMS is preferred for commuter/regional aircraft operating on fixed, repetitive routes.

Gao, Zibo, Chigan, Dongdong, Xiao, Yizhuo, Li, Yuansheng, Ji, Guoming, Han, Qing, Li, Zhi-peng

Coking Inhibition Characteristics of Dimethyl Disulfide during Supercritical Pyrolysis of n-Decane

2026-99-2993

10/19/2026

Inhibition of coking from pyrolysis of hydrocarbon fuel is critical for ensuring the safe operation of high-speed aircraft. In this work, the inhibitory effects of dimethyl disulfide (DMDS) on coke during the supercritical pyrolysis of n-decane were investigated. Experiments using an electrically heated micro-reactor tube were conducted to study the influences of presulfidation and cofeeding methods with varying DMDS concentrations. The pyrolysis products were analyzed via gas chromatography, while pressure drop and coke mass were measured. The composition and morphology of coke were further characterized by energy-dispersive spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The results show that the influence of DMDS on coke formation depends on its application method and concentration. At a DMDS concentration of 500 ppm, the coke inhibition rate reached 85.5% with presulfidation and 81.7% with cofeeding. However, with increasing DMDS concentration beyond 500 ppm, the amount of coke formation increases. Coke formation during supercritical pyrolysis of n-decane primarily involves metal-catalyzed coking and bulk-phase coking processes. The H2S and HS radicals generated from pyrolysis of DMDS react with transition metals such as Fe and Ni, thereby inhibiting the formation of metal-catalyzed filamentous coke. The presulfidation process forms a sulfide layer earlier than the cofeeding process, more effectively suppressing the generation of filamentous coke. However, excessively high DMDS concentrations can lead to its decomposition into sulfur-containing radicals such as thiol radicals (CH3S·), which incorporate into the coke matrix, enhance its reactivity, and promote coke formation. This work offers valuable insights for the application of DMDS as a coke inhibitor in endothermic hydrocarbon fuels.

Liao, Yan, Yao, Yixuan, Yang, Can, Huang, Qin, Chen, Yu

Emergence and Regulation of Scale-Free Correlation in UAV Swarm under Communication Energy Constraints

2026-99-2983

10/19/2026

This paper studies how scale-free correlations, a key feature for efficient group response, emerge in collective motion under communication energy constraints. A two-dimensional Boids model integrated with a point-to-point wireless communication energy consumption model is used. The model dynamically determines, based on a limited communication power budget, an individual’s interactive neighbors, where neighbors are selected based on two different mechanisms: distance-based and probability-based, until the total communication cost reaches the budget. Simulations of flock sizes ranging from 30 to 230 individuals confirm that scale-free correlation persists, even under strict power constraints, which is shown by a correlation length ξ proportional to the flock’s linear size L. Notably, the ratio ξ/L, which reflects the robustness of collective correlation, displays a non-monotonic dependence on the available communication power. Initially, increasing power enhances ξ/L by expanding effective interaction ranges and improving information transmission. However, beyond a threshold, further power increase causes a slow drop in ξ/L, likely due to signal interference from excessively many or distant connections. This finding demonstrates that communication power is a critical, tunable engineering parameter regulating collective coordination, analogous to interaction range or neighbor number in biological models. The results imply that for engineered swarms, maximizing communication resources is not always beneficial; instead, an optimal power allocation exists to maximize coordination performance, balancing connectivity with efficient, localized interactions.

Zhao, Shiping, Gan, Qingzhong, Liu, Jinglei, Liu, Zhihao, Zhang, Liang

ARET-ALSTM: Intelligent Beam Prediction and Dynamic Compensation Network for Aerial Base Stations under Non-Stationary Turbulent Conditions

2026-99-2954

10/19/2026

With the unprecedented surge in demand for flexible deployment and ultra-high throughput in next-generation wireless networks, airborne base stations (ABS), particularly unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), have become emerged as indispensable mobile communication infrastructure. To facilitate high-gain directional transmission within the millimeter-wave band, ABS frequently employ massive MIMO antenna arrays. However, under random disturbances caused by non-stationary turbulence, the system faces a severe physical bottleneck: weak anti-interference capability due to narrow beamwidth, which can easily lead to a sharp drop in link capacity. Addressing the two major shortcomings of existing deep learning prediction schemes—susceptibility to sensor noise interference and negative capacity performance shifts during stable periods, and response lag due to memory inertia during sudden turbulence periods—this paper proposes an ARET-ALSTM active compensation network based on SNR-aware multimodal attention, agile reset and adaptive event-triggered mechanisms. This network incorporates an event-triggered mechanism governed by a dynamic physical variance threshold, adaptively executing compensation during stable intervals to prevent excessive overshoot and redundant computational overhead. Simultaneously, it employs an agile feature reset mechanism based on an adaptive sliding window for concept drift detection, forcibly discarding old memories and reconstructing attention weights during sudden wind shear, achieving millisecond-level ultra-fast adaptation and directly driving network optimization with the goal of maximizing communication capacity. Simulation experiments show that, under different array configurations ranging from 2×2 to 16×16 and complex flow conditions, ARET-ALSTM successfully overcomes the physical capacity collapse limitation under large antenna scales, and its tracking agility and robustness are significantly better than benchmark algorithms such as Transformer, RNN and traditional Kalman filtering.

Tu, Jiajun, Zhou, Jihua, Li, Yanhang, Zhao, Tao, Huang, Hua, Wen, Yuanbin, Guo, Ziwen

Lightweight Compression Networks for Efficient RGBD-IR Imagery Transmission on Resource-Constrained Edge UAV Platforms

2026-99-2978

10/19/2026

Due to the limitation of unstable wireless links and resource-constrained edge computing device, it is challenging to transmit the unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) captured images with large data volume in real-time. To address this issue, this paper proposes a lightweight hybrid compression method named Jpeg Plus Plus Network (JppNet) for efficient multimodal image transmission. Different from existing methods that mainly focus on RGB image compression for offline storage and often use large networks for coding and reconstruction, the proposed JppNet focuses more on edge deployment under limited computing resources. At the encoder side, JPEG is first used to perform high-ratio compression on the RGB, D, and IR channels. Then, a lightweight convolutional encoder network extracts supplementary binary features for progressive transmission. At the decoder side, a medium-scale reconstruction network fuses the supplementary code with the JPEG reconstruction to restore image details. To verify the effectiveness of the proposed method, this paper built a multimodal data acquisition prototype and collected 20,000 high-quality RGBD-IR image samples for training and testing. Experimental results show that JppNet combines the high coding efficiency of JPEG with the detail recovery ability of convolutional neural networks. With low computational cost, JppNet obtains much lower reconstruction errors than JPEG on the RGB, D, and IR channels, especially at very low compression ratios. This supports the efficient transmission of UAV captured multimodal images under limited communication conditions.

Pi, Haoran, Ao, Yile, Li, Zhi, Tang, Gang, Jiang, Bowu

Robust Cross-Modal UAV Detection via Bidirectional Collaborative Energy Field under Weak Calibration

2026-99-2992

10/19/2026

The precise detection and localization of 'low-slow-small' (LSS) unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) pose significant challenges in terminal defense scenarios. These non-cooperative targets have extremely sparse representations in radar point clouds because of their minimal radar cross-sections and appear as textureless, blurred patches in visual images. Furthermore, traditional multi-modal fusion paradigms rely heavily on rigid geometric projection matrices, which frequently fail under the mechanical vibrations, thermal deformations, and extrinsic perturbations inherent in rapid deployment environments, which often results in severe feature misalignment and contamination. To overcome these critical bottlenecks, we present an end-to-end cross-modal detection framework built on Bidirectional Collaborative Energy Fields (Co-Field). By redefining the 3D object detection task as an energy field reconstruction process within a latent multimodal feature space, we entirely remove the need for absolutely precise extrinsic parameters. Our framework uses a novel bidirectional mutual-guided interaction mechanism. Specifically, a vision-guided radar branch employs deformable cross-attention to adaptively aggregate highly discrete radar geometric features around visual semantic centers, achieving a feature-level soft alignment that implicitly compensates for calibration drift. Concurrently, a radar-corrected vision branch utilizes radar-derived geometric occupancy probabilities as depth anchors to gate and calibrate visual features, effectively suppressing the inherent divergence of monocular depth estimation. Ultimately, the framework regresses the target's precise 3D states and fine-grained categories directly from the extrema of the reconstructed collaborative energy field, circumventing complex heuristic post-processing. Experiments on the curated MMAUD dataset show that the proposed Co-Field method achieves better robustness. It remains highly effective even under severe calibration errors up to 10 degrees and achieves a 74.2% recall rate at extreme sparse distances ranging from 70 to 100 meters, and consistently outperforms state-of-the-art rigid and soft fusion baselines.

Peng, Chao, Shao, Peng, Ding, Qiao, Chen, Xiaoqing, Han, Aojia, Xu, Yuelei

A CTCM-ALA Adaptive Embedded Fusion Optimization Method for UAV Path Planning in Complex Medical Rescue Environments

2026-99-2905

10/19/2026

To improve the accuracy and safety margin deficiencies of unmanned aerial vehicles in autonomous medical emergency search-and-rescue missions, this paper develops an adaptive embedded fusion optimizer named CTCM-ALA for rescue UAV path planning. The proposed algorithm hybridizes the tribe-competition member-cooperation strategy and artificial lemming algorithm to construct hierarchically adaptive initial populations, speed up convergence and prevent local convergence traps. Tests on 12 CEC2017 functions prove its better optimization performance. Real-world applications in dense urban and complicated topographic medical rescue cases verify its reliability and precision.

Chen, Yuhan, Xiong, Junhui, Li, Yuesheng, Zhou, Yifan, Yao, Junjie, Li, Rujun

Switched Adaptive Flight Control of UAV Carrier Subject to Transient Separation Disturbances

2026-99-2952

10/19/2026

A switched adaptive flight control architecture is proposed for fixed-wing carrier-sub UAVs to handle abrupt mass and inertia variations, as well as parameter uncertainties induced by transient aerodynamic interference, during sequential deployment. The separation process is rigorously modeled as a switched linear system, and a combined direct and indirect adaptive control scheme featuring an online Recursive Least Squares (RLS) modification is designed to compensate for model uncertainties. Furthermore, a dwell-time admissible switching law is established by solving Linear Matrix Inequalities (LMIs), ensuring the stability of the switching process through theoretically guaranteed Lyapunov energy drops at switching instants. Numerical simulations verify that transient tracking error spikes are significantly suppressed, and high-frequency oscillations are effectively attenuated compared to baseline controllers.

Chi, Haiyi, Yuan, Shuai

Research on the Flow Characteristics of the Airflow Field in an Open Fan Array

2026-99-2979

10/19/2026

Small aerial vehicles operating at low altitude are frequently exposed to wind fields with strong spatial gradients and rapid temporal variations. Although conventional closed-section wind tunnels provide well-controlled test conditions, they are generally unable to reproduce the large-scale non-uniformity typical of urban low-altitude environments. Open multi-fan arrays provide a promising alternative because they can generate programmable inflow conditions over a relatively large test area. In this study, a 9 × 9 open fan array is investigated using the momentum-source method to reproduce representative inflow conditions, including uniform flow and shear flow. The numerical results reveal a persistent edge-dissipation effect: velocity decays more rapidly and turbulent kinetic energy is higher near the outer fans than near the array center. In the uniform-flow case, a relatively stable low-turbulence corridor develops downstream of the array. In the shear-flow case, the imposed asymmetry is preserved, while edge-induced losses become more pronounced near the perimeter. These results clarify the main flow structures generated by open multi-fan arrays and provide a physical basis for future wind-environment testing of aerial vehicles.

Lu, Yuexuan, Tu, Zhan, Li, Daochun, Li, Huadong, Liu, Yiliang

Dual-Quaternion Based Nonlinear Model Predictive Control for Quadrotor Leader-Follower Formation

2026-99-2971

10/19/2026

To effectively address the challenges of cooperative control for quadrotor formations in complex environments, this paper extends the dual-quaternion based nonlinear model predictive control (DQ-NMPC) framework to leader-follower formation. Unlike conventional methods that treat translation and rotation separately, the dual-quaternion based model achieves a unified and compact representation of rigid-body motion using only eight real numbers without singularities, enabling global description on SE(3). Through the logarithmic map, the pose error is mapped from the Lie group to its Lie algebra, resulting in a quadratic cost function that naturally resolves the dimensional inconsistency between position and attitude errors, thereby simplifying weight tuning and improving numerical stability. Building on this formulation, a UAV formation controller is developed, where the relative motion between leader and follower is concisely described using dual quaternions, and a minimum safe distance constraint is explicitly incorporated to avoid collisions and maintain safe separation. In formation scenarios, the follower autonomously accomplishes chasing, rendezvous, and formation keeping under various trajectories, including straight-line pursuit and Lissajous curves. Moreover, the stability of formation control is validated under non-ideal conditions such as communication delay, mass mismatches, and constant external disturbances. Furthermore, the optimal weight combination is determined through grid search, which further improves formation tracking accuracy and control smoothness. In addition, the proposed framework inherently supports time-varying formation patterns, such as dynamic switching between different relative configurations and adaptive scaling. Computational efficiency analysis shows that the average solution time per control cycle is far below the sampling interval, validating real-time feasibility. Overall, the DQ-NMPC framework provides a unified, robust, and efficient solution for quadrotor formation control under both ideal and perturbed environments.

Li, Jiaye, Zhang, Zexu, Liu, Jingzong

Lightweight and Fast Reconstruction Algorithm for 5D Spatio-Temporal-Frequency Situation Based on Kronecker Compressive Sensing

2026-99-2984

10/19/2026

Large-scale UAV clusters make real-time reconstruction of joint spatio-temporal-frequency (STF) situations difficult because the monitored state is high-dimensional and strongly coupled. This paper proposes a lightweight reconstruction algorithm based on Kronecker Compressive Sensing (KCS). First, a Multi-Channel Random Demodulation (MCRD) sensing model is built, and a Spatio-Temporal-Frequency 5D Grid (STF-5D Grid) is used to represent space, frequency, and time resources in a unified form. Next, a Tensor Orthogonal Matching Pursuit (T-OMP) algorithm is developed under the KCS framework. By using the separability of Kronecker products, the method replaces storage and multiplication of a global high-dimensional sensing matrix with dimension-wise operations. Two simulation studies are conducted to evaluate computational feasibility and reconstruction quality. In the city-scale case with 62.91 million grid cells, the factorized implementation avoids constructing the global sensing matrix and completes the tested reconstruction in 9.44 s. The reported memory value is interpreted as additional algorithmic storage for the factorized operators rather than total process peak memory, and should be rechecked with full tensor input/output and runtime overhead included. In noise-free, highly sparse proxy tests, several reconstruction errors approach the numerical precision floor; these results are therefore treated as ideal upper-bound evidence rather than practical field accuracy. The simulations suggest that KCS-based T-OMP can reduce storage and computational pressure for STF reconstruction, while its engineering performance still requires validation under noisy observations and realistic platform constraints.

Tian, Jinghao, Wang, Qianzhe, Di, Shen, Wei, Tan, Song, Bowen

2026 International Symposium on Aerospace Information and Industry Innovation

2026-99-2900

10/19/2026

TOC

Tobolski, Sue

A Fuzzy Initiative-Yielding Mechanism for Space-Air-Ground Cooperative Communication

2026-99-2941

10/19/2026

Space-Air-Ground Integrated Network (SAGIN) emerges as an appealing framework for implementing pervasive connections among diverse layers of space, air, and ground. The scheme relies on satellite deployment for extensive space coverage, Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAVs) acting as agile aerial relay stations, and ground robots for performing the final task assignment. Nevertheless, integrating heterogeneous nodes with varying mobility characteristics poses significant challenges: satellite operations are restricted by orbital dynamics, ground robot movements are restricted by topography constraints, whereas UAVs demonstrate flexibility and can establish line-of-sight connections with both satellites and ground robots. Current solutions usually adopt UAVs merely as passive relay nodes, causing inefficient adaptation mechanisms and excessive communication overhead when responding to dynamic perturbations or blocked connections. To overcome the aforementioned challenge, this paper proposes a novel fuzzy initiative-yielding coordination approach assigning two opposite behaviors. Initiative is assigned to UAVs in order to facilitate coordinated operations between layers, whereas Yielding refers to the adaptive response of satellites and ground robots. Contrary to previous research where behavioral assignments follow strict threshold rules, our fuzzy inference considers various parameters such as link quality, node state, and task priority, providing flexible behavioral assignments. Our predictive approach incorporates the Exponentially Weighted Moving Average (EWMA) technique to perform proactive failure avoidance. Based on five comprehensive experiments with 30 independent runs each, our approach obtains similar task completion rates (84.4%), but exhibits significantly lower communication overhead by up to 11 to 147 times compared to baseline methods. Furthermore, the proposed behavioral assignments avoid any coordination conflict (0 vs. 30.8), reduce completion time by 10.1%, maintain robust performance under 20% rule reduction, scale to 150-node mega-constellation scenarios, and exhibit higher fault tolerance under dynamic environments (81.5% vs. 79.8% of CBBA under high stress conditions).

Bao, Jie, Zhang, Yuping, Zhang, Ronghao

Closed-Loop Steam-Injected SOFC-GT Propulsion System with Thrust Compensation for High-Altitude Hydrogen UAVs

2026-99-2927

10/19/2026

To address the requirements of high thermal efficiency and strict thermal control for high altitude long endurance unmanned aerial vehicles, as well as the problems of large additional water load and difficult high altitude condensation in traditional steam injected cycle aero engines, this paper proposes a closed loop steam injected cycle liquid hydrogen solid oxide fuel cell and gas turbine hybrid power system, which uses the cryogenic energy of liquid hydrogen fuel and external high altitude ram air to realize the condensation, collection and reuse of water vapor. This paper establishes a coupled thermodynamic and aerodynamic model, evaluates the benefits of the steam injected cycle at the design point, and analyzes the thermodynamic and aerodynamic characteristics of the system under off design conditions. The results show that the closed loop steam injected cycle effectively improves the work capacity of the turbine and the power generation efficiency of the system. At the design point, the rated net output power and power generation efficiency of the system reach one thousand two hundred and fifteen point zero kilowatts and sixty-six point two eight percent respectively. In addition, the system recovers kinetic energy by using the Meredith effect, which greatly offsets the aerodynamic drag caused by the introduction of ram air. Even when the flight speed exceeds Mach number zero point six four, the system can completely offset the aerodynamic drag and even generate additional thrust. Power margin analysis proves that the system still has sufficient power reserve to complete the flight mission under cruise conditions. This study provides a theoretical basis for the power and thermal control design of high altitude long endurance hydrogen powered unmanned aerial vehicles.

Kang, Qiming, Shen, Yiling, Li, Chengjie, Qin, Jiang, Ji, Yongbin, Jiang, Junwen

Backstepping-Based Dynamic Sliding Mode Control for Tilt-Rotor Quadrotor UAVs in Transition Flight

2026-99-2913

10/19/2026

The flight control problem of an H-shaped dual-wing tilt-rotor quadrotor UAV during positive tilt transition is investigated, where the rotor tilt angle varies continuously from 0° to 90° and the vehicle shifts from rotor-borne to wing-borne lift. A component-based partitioning approach is adopted to build a complete kinematic and dynamic model of the fuselage, wings, rotors, and main body, derived from the Newton–Euler equations and the momentum theorem so that major force and moment contributions can be explicitly integrated. Based on this model, a MATLAB/Simulink simulation platform is established for controller evaluation. To achieve stable tracking with practical implementability, a dynamic sliding mode control (DSMC) strategy is developed, which avoids the explosion of complexity caused by repeated differentiation and balances response speed and attenuation of residual oscillations, particularly in the altitude channel. Furthermore, the performance of both DSMC and conventional sliding mode control (SMC) is systematically examined through extensive simulations under representative flight scenarios, including different transition speeds, various tilt angles, external disturbances, and multi-UAV cooperative tracking tasks. Comparative simulations with conventional sliding mode control under identical transition settings show stable command tracking and faster error convergence, with particularly improved altitude steady-state precision, while the velocity response exhibits a trade-off in mean-square accuracy over the evaluation horizon.

Liu, Dantong, Li, Daochun

Considerations for Hydrogen Fuel Cells in Airborne Applications

AIR7765A (Current)

10/5/2026

The scope of this joint EUROCAE/SAE report is to compile the considerations relating to airborne application of hydrogen fuel cells. This document provides a comprehensive analysis of the use of hydrogen as a fuel by describing its existing applications and the experience gained by exploiting fuel cells in sectors other than aviation. The use of hydrogen fuel cells in aircraft can help in meeting aviation environmental targets (including noise pollution) and can be vital to achieving efficient electrically propelled air vehicles. The experience gained with mature fuel cells in terrestrial applications and the handling of other gases in aviation, as presented herein, will help in alleviating safety concerns and in demystifying the usage of hydrogen in aviation.

AE-7F Hydrogen and Fuel Cells

Flight Deck Layout and Facilities

ARP4101A (Current)

9/22/2026

This document recommends criteria for the layout and for the design, installation, and operation of flight deck facilities for transport aircraft.

S-7 Flight Deck Handling Qualities Stds for Trans Aircraft

Carbon Fiber Fabric Repair Prepreg, 120 °C (250 °F) Vacuum Curing, Part 6 - Material Specification: Carbon Fiber Fabric Reinforced Epoxy Prepreg for Repair, Plain Weave Fabric, 193 g/m2, Adhesive Film for Repair and Non-Structural Glass Fiber Fabric Reinforced Epoxy Prepreg, 105 g/m2

AMS3970/6A (Current)

9/22/2026

AMS3970/6 Material Specification (MS) defines the requirements of carbon fiber plain weave fabric, 193 g/m2, reinforced epoxy structural prepreg for repair, curing under vacuum at 120 °C (250 °F), and a companion non-structural glass fiber fabric reinforced epoxy prepreg, 105 g/m2, used in repair of carbon fiber reinforced epoxy structures and qualified according to AMS3970/1 and AMS3970/2 for aerospace applications. The prepreg system may include an epoxy film adhesive to be applied in a co-curing process with the prepreg for joint and sandwich bonding. The need for a film adhesive shall be established during screening tests. If included, the requirements to be met by the adhesive are also defined in this document.

AMS CACRC Commercial Aircraft Composite Repair Committee

Shrike Nano: On-Body AI-Enabled Digital Fires from Unmanned Aircraft Feeds

2026-01-7504

9/22/2026

Shrike Nano provides forward observers and small unmanned aerial system (sUAS) operators with an integrated solution to enhance target prosecution using sUAS video feeds and indirect fire systems. Operable within the Android Tactical Assault Kit (ATAK) ecosystem, Shrike Nano functions as a software plugin that interacts seamlessly with existing tools, including UAS Tool, Robot Picker, and Network Monitor. By utilizing either aided threat recognition (AiTR) or manual targeting workflows, along with passive single-camera geolocation, operators can nominate targets and correct shot placement via digital messaging to enterprise fires terminals such as the Advanced Field Artillery Tactical Data System (AFATDS). The system offers key advantages, including operator standoff capabilities, accurate geolocation, and streamlined fires messaging workflows, all while leveraging low-observable platforms. Shrike Nano seeks to bridge gaps in traditional targeting processes by providing a cohesive and efficient sensor-to-shooter workflow that reduces cognitive load and enables faster, more reliable fire missions at the tactical edge.

Baharanyi, Ali I., Tozzi, Gregory M.

Beyond Detection: Zero-Shot UAS Payload Identification, Passive Ranging, and Pose Estimation

2026-01-7507

9/22/2026

Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) pose a growing threat on the modern battlefield, demanding rapid detection and characterization capabilities for the warfighter. Existing single-model solutions are inadequate for Counter-UAS (C-UAS), as they struggle across varying ranges and cannot provide detailed contextual information beyond bounding boxes. We present ZEUS (Zero-shot Explainable Universal Segmentation), a multi-model detection and recognition system that integrates several machine learning approaches. ZEUS employs a high-performance UAS detector trained on synthetic, internally collected, and open-source datasets, with real-time capability demonstrated on edge hardware across both electro-optical and infrared modalities. For classification, ZEUS uses a zero-shot approach: detected UAS are segmented and compared against a library of 3D reference models rendered at various poses, enabling identification of new UAS types without retraining. This methodology additionally provides UAS pose and range estimates critical for threat assessment and engagement decisions.

Matousek, Gregory, Varberg, Nathan, Torrione, Pete, Brandon, Namdi, Inkawhich, Matt, Camilo, Joe

Development of a UAV Platform for Remote Inspection and Visualization

2026-01-7511

9/22/2026

This paper details the development of an intelligence and inspection platform consisting of an attritable sub-250g UAV, a ground control station, and a visualization interface for users. The UAV architecture combines onboard obstacle detection and avoidance along with simultaneous localization and mapping to have full autonomous navigation inside of complicated GPS-denied environments. The ROS 2-to-Unreal Engine data pipeline allows for sensor fusion, data cleansing, and initial analysis as well as creation of a high-fidelity real-time 3D digital twin. The visualization interface allows users to easily identify critical features and turn data into intelligence to support decision making by soldiers and first responders.

Lee, Yeen K., Bainard, Sean, Shaughnessy, Michael, Bolger, Matt, Koepp, R. Tucker, Salehzadeh, Roya, Mallory, Stephen, Mynderse, James A., Guillen, Pedro, Hernandez, Margarita

Bullfrog: AI Powered Counter Unmanned Aerial System

2026-01-7519

9/22/2026

The proliferation of small unmanned aircraft systems (sUAS) presents an asymmetric threat to ground maneuver forces operating in contested and gray-zone environments. The Bullfrog Autonomous Weapon Station (AWS) addresses this operational gap through a passive, AI-powered counter-UAS system employing computer vision and machine learning for autonomous detection, tracking, classification, and engagement. Field testing at Technology Readiness Experimentation (T-REX) 26-1 demonstrated 100% probability of defeat against Group 1 UAS targets with a mean engagement time of 6 seconds and 10 rounds per kill at ranges exceeding 160 meters. Operating in both autonomous and human-in-the-loop modes, Bullfrog achieved 99.45% operational availability while leveraging service-common M240B weapons and Modular Open Systems Architecture for rapid integration with Joint All-Domain Command and Control (JADC2) networks. At $300,000 per unit with $10 cost-per-engagement, Bullfrog demonstrates operational relevance, speed-to-field, and alignment with Army and Marine Corps autonomy priorities.

Cunningham, Jason, Clark, Alex

Passive Thermal Management Through Vapor Chamber Integration of a PMSM E-Motor installed on UAV for Urban Mobility Applications

2026-24-0010

9/21/2026

Thermal management is a critical design challenge for Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motors (PMSMs) employed in Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) propulsion systems, where high power density and compact integration lead to significant heat generation. Excessive temperatures can compromise efficiency, reliability, and component lifetime, making the development of effective and lightweight cooling solutions essential. This study investigates the integration of a vapor chamber as a passive thermal management solution for a commercially available PMSM intended for UAV applications, whose thermal performance is evaluated under external airflow conditions representative of low-speed flight and hovering. Unlike conventional active cooling systems, the proposed approach does not require moving parts, external power input, or additional control devices. Heat transfer is driven by phase-change mechanisms within a sealed enclosure: as the local thermal load increases, the working fluid evaporates in the hotter regions and condenses in the cooler ones, redistributing heat autonomously without external intervention — a self-regulating behavior particularly suited to the constraints of UAV propulsion systems. A simplified three-dimensional model of the motor housing was developed, and steady-state conjugate heat transfer simulations were performed in ANSYS Fluent to evaluate the thermal performance of the system. Three configurations were analyzed: a baseline motor without vapor chamber, a configuration with an integrated vapor chamber, and a configuration combining the vapor chamber with an external copper fin array. The vapor chamber was modeled using an equivalent porous-medium approach for the wick structure, coupled with a multiphase formulation to capture liquid–vapor interactions within the core. The results demonstrate that vapor chamber integration significantly reduces peak pole temperature, with reductions ranging from 38K to 159K (approximately 10% to 31% relative to the baseline configuration) depending on operating conditions. At higher thermal loads, the device transitions from a liquid-filled regime to an active two-phase operation, enhancing heat transfer through evaporation and condensation. The addition of an external copper fin array further improves thermal performance, achieving a maximum pole temperature reduction of 203K (approximately 33% relative to the baseline) under low-airflow, high-load conditions. A key finding of this study is the strong coupling between the external fin array and the internal phase-change behavior of the vapor chamber: by lowering the condensation-side temperature, the fins promote a more active two-phase regime, enhancing overall heat transfer performance beyond what either component achieves independently. These results highlight the potential of vapor chamber technology, particularly when combined with extended surfaces optimized for the dominant flight regime, as a lightweight, passive, and self-regulating cooling strategy for compact UAV electric propulsion systems.

Benedetti, Silvia, Lombardi, Simone, Federici, Leonardo, Chiappini, Daniele

A Computational Study of High Efficiency Wankel Rotary Engines using a Passive Pre-Chamber

2026-24-0001

9/21/2026

Wankel rotary engines are renowned as compact machines with high power-to-weight ratios, which make them suitable for use as range extenders for battery electric vehicles or as propulsion systems for unmanned aerial vehicles. However, their overall efficiency and emissions still need significant improvement to meet to the stringent regulations comparable with classical reciprocating 4-stroke engines. With the aim of improving these shortcomings, this work focuses on the application of a passive pre-chamber in order to enhance the combustion phase and the overall efficiency and emissions of such engines. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations were conducted for the commercial AIE 225CS rotary engine, configured with port fuel injection and fully-premixed gasoline combustion. The engine was extensively tested in a previous project while different CFD models were validated against experimental data in previous studies by the same authors. In particular, the present work examines the engine performance with two pre-chamber configurations with different volumes. The volume and nozzle specifications were determined to have geometrical characteristics similar to those of the theory of Gussak, with volumes directly comparable with that of the two spark park plug recesses of the original engine, leading to significantly large nozzle diameters in the pre-chambers. In addition, the effect of spark advance was investigated to capture the development of the flame and jets and the resulting effects on the indicated pressure cycle. Consistent with previous findings, heat losses were found to be a critical aspect for the different configurations of engine. Nevertheless, the application of pre-chamber shows some potential to improve efficiency by accelerating combustion phase, leading to a relative increase of 7.4% on the indicated efficiency. This suggests an important new path in the development of Wankel engines as a viable solution to efficient utilisation of decarbonised and innovative future fuels in compact systems.

Vorraro, Giovanni, Im, Hong G., Turner, James

Oxygen Considerations for High Elevation Airport Operations (HEAO)

AIR6829A (Current)

9/11/2026

This document covers information concerning the use of oxygen when flying into and out of high elevation airports for both pressurized and non-pressurized aircraft. Oxygen requirements for pressurized aircraft operating at high altitudes have for decades emphasized the potential failures that could lead to a loss of cabin pressurization coupled with the potential severe hypoxic hazard that decompressions represent. This document is intended to address the case where the relationship between cabin and ambient pressures are complicated by operations at high terrestrial altitudes. Operators who fly into these high-altitude airports should address the issues related to this environment because it carries the potential for insidious hypoxia and other conditions which can affect safety. It provides information to consider in developing operational procedures to address hypoxia concerns consistent with regulatory mandates. In some sections, procedures are discussed that may mitigate the deleterious effects of hypoxia in a non-flight regime yet still have the potential to represent risk factors associated with flight operations. All the information is provided as a framework for potential oxygen management and other procedures to facilitate responsible practices and facilitate compliance with existing regulatory requirements. This document cannot address every type of aircraft pressurization system, oxygen system, or operational condition the flight may encounter. Any threat or hazard not discussed in AIR6829 should be brought to the attention of the OEM, the regulatory authority, and the flight operations department for proper guidance.

A-10 Aircraft Oxygen Equipment Committee

Preconditioned Air (PCA) Unit Air Quality, Humidity Management, and Cabin Connection

ARP6986 (Current)

9/11/2026

The provisions of this SAE Aerospace Recommended Practice (ARP) cover minimum performance requirements and design parameters for preconditioned air (PCA) devices supplying air to the aircraft cabin. It identifies the need for interim and future performance improvement for ground equipment delivery systems, to meet industry requirements for reducing airborne compounds or particulates (“source types”) in the aircraft cabin and flight deck. This ARP will guide SAE, IATA, airline operators, and airframe and PCA manufacturers to meet new requirements. This ARP defines: Minimum performance and maintenance requirements for filtration, hose assemblies, operations, and maintenance. Level of humidity supplied by the ground equipment to the aircraft cabin. Minimum performance and maintenance requirements for digital communication of cabin parameters between the cabin and the PCA. Installation of the sensor unit within the aircraft cabin. The data collected by these sensors is not intended to assess impacts on aircraft occupant health and shall not be used to make a finding of airworthiness.

AGE-3 Aircraft Ground Support Equipment Committee

Study on Rapid Formation Generation Method for Multi-UAV Swarms

2026-99-1421

9/11/2026

This paper presents a generalizable geometric framework for rapid on-demand generation of multi-UAV formations with arbitrary 2D geometries and user-specified scalable scales. First, vertices, edge intersections and edges are extracted from a user-defined formation template to enable parametric description of both simple and composite formation geometries. Second, boundary interpolation, edge expansion and recursive internal expansion are integrated to synthesize hierarchical multi-layer UAV deployment point sets under a controllable expansion ratio. Third, a geometric distortion metric is proposed to optimize UAV node indexing and formation reconstruction while preserving inter-node topological consistency. Algorithmic derivations, complexity analysis and simulation assumptions are further elaborated. Simulation results verify that the proposed method preserves geometric fidelity of target formations while delivering superior scalability and spatial coverage, rendering it well-suited for emergency transport, aerial surveying and low-altitude cooperative missions in dense urban environments.

Fu, Mingyi, Zeng, Guoqi, Gu, XinZhu, Wang, Jia

Study on Brake Efficiency Airworthiness Requirements and Verification of Transport Category Aircraft

2026-99-1404

9/11/2026

Braking efficiency is one of the key indicators for evaluating the performance of braking systems on transport category aircraft. The value of braking efficiency is directly related to the safety of aircraft deceleration processes, especially during landing, and it is also critical for civil aircraft operators to improve operational efficiency on routes. This paper presents the airworthiness regulation requirements related to braking efficiency, requirements for aircraft wheels and tires, requirements for runway pavement types, major sources of contaminants, and specific requirements for simulating wet runway conditions using different contaminants. This paper analyzes effective methods for calculating braking efficiency, including the pressure method, torque method, and slip ratio method, and introduces the approaches for acquiring data of relevant parameters. Combining experience from braking efficiency verification work, the paper demonstrates the specific test procedures for the actual measurement of braking efficiency. Based on measured data such as braking pressure, wheel speed, and aircraft speed during braking, as well as the wheel dimensions and rotational inertia of wheels and brakes, the specific braking efficiency values under different calculation methods are derived. The paper compares the differences in braking efficiency values obtained by various calculation methods for similar braking processes, analyzes the causes of these differences, and demonstrates that the accuracy of braking efficiency calculated by different methods is acceptable. Additionally, the same calculation method is applied to compute the braking efficiency of multiple braking deceleration processes, which demonstrates that the method has good repeatability and can be stably used for braking efficiency calculation. This verification method provides a reference for the certification work to ensure that the braking efficiency of transport category aircraft complies with airworthiness and performance requirements.

Feng, Yibo

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