Research on Energy-Saving Effects of Hypersonic Morphing Vehicles

To achieve optimal aerodynamic performance across a wide speed range, a variable-configuration waverider scheme was proposed, and its energy-saving effects were investigated. First, a database of aerodynamic parameters was obtained through CFD numerical simulations of samples generated by Latin hypercube sampling. Subsequently, polynomial fitting and comparative performance analysis of different configurations were conducted, demonstrating the superior aerodynamic performance of the morphing configuration over a wide speed range. For a flight mission involving gliding followed by cruising, trajectory optimization was performed using the pseudospectral method. Comparative analysis of simulation results under multiple operating conditions for different configurations confirmed the significant energy-saving effects of the morphing aircraft in missions requiring wide speed and altitude ranges. Taking a flight mission with an initial altitude of 50 km, initial speed of 10 Ma, initial flight path angle of − 3°, final altitude of 25 km, final speed of 6 Ma, and final flight path angle of 0° as an example, the morphing configuration saved 34.8% and 45.8% fuel compared to fixed configurations at 5 Ma and 8 Ma, respectively.