DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT OF AN UNMANNED SURVEILLANCE AERIAL VEHICLE (USAV) USING LOCALLY SOURCED MATERIAL

An Unmanned Surveillance Aerial Vehicle (USAV) is an air vehicle which is largely used for surveillance, monitoring, reconnaissance, data relay, and data collection or to enter an area which is not safe for human. This study documents the development and evaluation of a low cost, short range unmanned aerial vehicle to monitor a fixed operational urban area. Aerodynamic principles were employed to develop a better concept through reasonable design considerations and assumptions. The design was then modeled using National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Vehicle Sketch Pad (VSP). Analysis of aerodynamic properties of the wing airfoil section, lift and drag analysis of resisting surfaces, stability in flight were carried out with the aid of Computational Fluid dynamics software (JAVA FOIL). Ultimately, in achieving the goal of this study, the design concept was supported by the fabrication of a flying prototype and an economic analysis of the total cost of fabrication. Keywords: Aerial Vehicle, Surveillance, Aerodynamic, JAVA Foil, Airfoi