Design and Flight Tests of a Small Flying Wing UAV

This study presents the design and flight testing of a small unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) in a flying wing configuration. The flying wing concept provides a low-drag platform suitable for observation, surveillance, and search-and-rescue missions. The UAV is designed to achieve inherent stability without the use of vertical stabilizers or artificial stabilization systems, which may reduce aerodynamic efficiency. The design process includes aerodynamic analyses aimed at balancing static and dynamic stability. Flight tests are conducted to validate the proposed configuration and to assess its ability to maintain stable flight under various operating conditions. The results confirm that the developed flying wing UAV achieves stable flight without artificial stabilization, demonstrating the potential of flying wing configurations as efficient platforms for small unmanned aerial vehicles. In particular, the concept is well suited for applications requiring long-endurance flights, low energy consumption, and reduced radar reflectivity.