Numerical Study of the Aerodynamics Stability of STU.1.M Drone at the Steady State Conditions

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are considered one of the modern technologies that have recently used in many military and civilian applications. This research investigates the aerodynamic stability of the STU.1.M predator drone was studied by studying the change in the values of the lift and drag coefficients and the lift-to-drag ratio using numerical modelling, Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) was employed to simulate performance across range of angles of attack (0° to 14°) at various speeds (20, 40, 60, 80 m/sec) under incompressible flow conditions. The engineering model of the aircraft was generated and the numerical validity was confirmed against experimental data from referenced study. The results indicated that the change in the value of the lift and drag coefficients and the lift-to-drag ratio with respect to UAV velocity is with no significant. The results also showed that the value of the lift coefficient and the lift-to-drag ratio increased with the increase in the value of the angle of attack, The maximum L/D ratio of 8.5 was achieved at a 6° angle of attack and speed of UAV 80 m/s, pressure and velocity contours identified stagnation regions with maximum pressure points at the UAV 's nose, wing, and tail.