Rapid Fabrication and Testing of a Conceptually-Designed Bespoke VTOL sUAS

In this study, a conceptually designed thrust-vectoring vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) small unmanned aircraft system (sUAS) was realized using low-cost fabrication techniques and refined through a series of prototypes. A variety of fabrication techniques were compared and down-selected based on metrics relevant to the specific vehicle configuration and parameters. Several weight discrepancies overlooked by the design methodology were identified, namely a higher than anticipated amount of weight contributed from wiring and the assumption of an impractical fabrication technique for the vehicle’s lifting surfaces. The as-built vehicle was successfully hand-launched and flown during flight testing, but was unable to perform consistently at low-speeds with the available flight controller. Changes were made to the design methodology based on lessons learned through the design-build-flight test iteration process, and the feasible design space of the vehicle was explored.