Wing Design for Class I Mini Unmanned Aerial Vehicles—Special Considerations for Foldable Wing Configuration at Low Reynolds Numbers

Foldable wing designs are becoming increasingly popular due to their advantages in the rapid deployment and compact packaging of fixed-wing UAVs, particularly when compared to horizontal take-off and VTOL counterparts. However, selecting an appropriate wing design requires the careful consideration of aerodynamic performance and volume storage constraints. As a result, a trade-off between performance and practicality must be addressed during the conceptual design phase. The primary objective of this study is to identify the optimal wing configuration for a tube-launched foldable wing design. To achieve this, the analysis combine an in-house design tool developed in Excel and XFLR5 v7.01 software.