Auto Sweptback Wing Based on Low Scattering Demand for an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle in Phase Flight

Abstract

In order to study the optimal sweepback angle when a variant unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) exhibits a low radar cross-section (RCS) indicator during phase flight, an auto sweep scheme based on electromagnetic scattering evaluation and an improved particle swarm optimization algorithm was presented in this article. An aircraft model with variable swept wings was built, and high-precision grids were used to discretize the target surface. The results showed that the optimal sweep angle did not change with the increase in the initial azimuth angle when the observation field was horizontal and the ending azimuth was 90°. While the increase in the elevation angle affected the optimal sweepback angle of the aircraft under the given conditions, when the observation initial azimuth angle was 90°, the auto sweep scheme could reduce the mean and some minima of the RCS indicator curve of the aircraft and could provide the aircraft with an optimal sweep angle under different observation conditions. The presented method was effective in learning the optimal sweep angle of the aircraft when low scattering characteristics were required during the phase flight.

Keywords

• unmanned aerial vehicle
• phase flight
• electromagnetic scattering
• swept wing
• radar cross-section
• morphing aircraft