Design and Fabrication of a Low-Cost, Low-Speed, Self-Deploying sUAS Motor Glider

A design study was conducted to explore the space of combining light-weight, low-cost, slowflying, and self-deploying features into small unmanned motor gliders. This study specifically focused on developing the structures, mechanisms, and layout/sizing necessary to rapidly fabricate a functional, unfolding, conventional fixed-wing configuration. Several aircraft were rapidly designed, built, and tested. Key tradeoff decisions explored were weight, cost, ease of fabrication, lift over drag ratio, and flight speed. Recommendations for best practices and general lessons learned for this vehicle type are discussed.