Aerodynamic Evaluation of Airfoils and Wing Geometries for Unmanned Air Vehicles Applications

The design of fixed-wing vertical take-off and landing (FW-VTOL) unmanned air vehicles (UAVs) requires aerodynamic evaluation of both airfoils and wing geometries to balance lift, efficiency, and stability under varying flight conditions. This study presents a systematic evaluation of 35 airfoils using XFLR5 software, focusing on key aerodynamic parameters such as lift coefficient, drag coefficient, lift-to-drag ratio, moment coefficient, stall angle, and maximum lift values. Each airfoil is assessed in various range of Reynolds numbers, angles of attack, freestream velocities, and varying chord lengths. The results revealed significant differences in performance; the S1223 airfoil exhibited the highest maximum lift coefficient, while the E374 showed the lowest. Following airfoil selection, further analysis is performed on wing geometries using the NACA 0012 airfoil to explore the influence of taper ratio, aspect ratio, and leading-edge sweep angles on aerodynamic behaviour. The combination of these analyses provides a robust aerodynamic database and practical guidance for UAV designers seeking to optimize FW-VTOL platforms for specific mission profiles. This work contributes to the design methodology of FW-VTOL UAVs by identifying suitable airfoil and wing combinations for efficient performance across a broad range of flight conditions.