Design, Performance Analysis, and Testing of a Camber Morphing Wing for Tactical Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV)

The demand for efficient and sustainable Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) has increased significantly in recent years. One of the key reasons for this growth in UAVs is their adaptability and agility across diverse conditions. Flight modes are implemented using control surfaces. Conventional fixed-wing UAVs rely on discrete control surfaces, such as flaps and ailerons, for maneuvering. Although these control surfaces are widely used, they introduce aerodynamic discontinuities, flow separation, and increased drag. The concept of morphing wings is more substantial, but conformal shape change is necessary to avoid these limitations while maintaining flight control authority. One of the most challenging aspects in morphing is its implementation and application to actual aircraft to validate its effectiveness. This study explores the feasibility of using a 3D-printed conformal camber-morphing mechanism in the design and construction of small UAVs. Two different conformal camber morphing mechanisms have been designed, developed, and tested in flight and in the wind tunnel to assess their performance relative to conventional flap-based wings. CFD analysis and wind-tunnel results indicate up to 51.4% and 49.5% improvements in the Coefficient of Lift (C _L ), respectively, at the same Drag Coefficient (C _D ) of flap-based and morphing wings, highlighting the superior aerodynamic efficiency of the morphing design. The results show that 3D-printed modular morphing can be a practical and effective alternative to conventional flap-based wings, thereby improving UAV aerodynamic efficiency. This research establishes a foundational design flow for integrating morphing technologies into lightweight, low-cost UAV applications, validated through experimental testing and flight tests. The major contribution of this paper is to demonstrate the effectiveness of a camber-morphing wing aircraft through implementation and a rigorous design process, culminating in wind-tunnel and flight testing on a small UAV in its final stage of development.