A Genetic Algorithm based Method for the Airfoil Optimization of a Tactical Blended-Wing-Body UAV *

Abstract

The current study presents the development of an in-house, low-fidelity optimization methodology, suitable for generating optimized airfoil shapes with respect to predefined goals and constrains, for Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) applications. The aim is to optimize the airfoil selection during the UAV preliminary design phase. The optimization method is that of a Genetic Algorithm (GA) and the aerodynamic analysis is conducted using the low-fidelity, panel-method-based XFOIL. To facilitate the calculations of the methodology, an in-house software is developed, based on the MATLAB environment and the optimization of the center-body airfoil profile of a tactical, fixed-wing, Blended-Wing-Body (BWB) Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) experimental prototype is solved as a case study. The results of the study indicate that the current methodology can be successfully utilized for the optimization of the BWB UAV layout by providing all-round optimized airfoils.