ACTIVITY NO.
1 CLASSIFICATIONS OF UAV
NAMES: DIZON, JOSHUA MIGUEL B. SUBMISSION DATE: JAN 15, 2024
INSTRUCTOR: ENGR. IDANIEL ILAI C. DAVID GRADE:
• MULTI-ROTOR UAV
-A multi-rotor UAV is an unmanned aerial vehicle with multiple rotors. Having various rotors can be a
struggle for endurance right away. This is because having multiple motors means that it would consume more
energy or drain the battery even faster than other UAVs and losing the means of power (drained battery)
would crash the multi-rotor UAV. Another disadvantage is that having these multiple rotors is a body
configuration where it cannot glide or have the means to glide whenever its power is drained out, and
therefore, it is a challenge to fly and manage (time and battery) this kind of UAV. Another thing to consider
for this UAV is its speed; due to its construction (having more drag) and direction of flying (vertically), its
speed cannot match a fixed-wing UAV and is considered one of the slower UAVs among others. Despite their
disadvantages, these types of UAVs can have a VTOL or vertical take-off and land. It means that it would not
need launch equipment like a runway, bungee-assisted take-off, or to be handheld and fly through facing the
wind. It also ensures a safer and easier landing than the other UAV, as it can vertically land the plane rather
than landing on a runway or needing a parachute. Multi-rotor UAVs can also hover around the area, and with
this advantage, they can monitor a location for a long time. That is why it is expected to be used in civil
activities like filming majestic scenery or taking some photographs. Another great thing about this UAV is its
construction is way easier than constructing a more complicated UAV like a fixed-wing UAV. Also, flying this
UAV is more handy than flying a scaled-down aircraft in a fixed-wing UAV, and therefore much easier to learn
to fly.
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ACTIVITY NO. 1 CLASSIFICATIONS OF UAV
• FIXED WING UAV
-A fixed-wing UAV is an unmanned aerial vehicle that can be a scaled-down fixed-wing aircraft. One of
the disadvantages that I can observe right away is its construction. As having to design an aircraft, it needs
to consider a lot of things like its center of gravity, airfoil to be used, structures to be used, type of propulsion
system to be used, the total weight, total wingspan, lift, and drag that it could generate. This means that
constructing this type of UAV requires a lot of calculations to finalize its configuration and also know what
parameters it can perform under such conditions. Flying this type of UAV is also complicated, and you first
need to learn how to fly and how it controls surfaces' reactions whenever you move it through the air. It will
also need a lot of practice to fly the plane smoothly. Having this kind of classification has many restrictions,
like its payload. It means that carrying such payload will have certain limitations as it will make the aircraft
heavier and, therefore, less endurance. Constructing its controls is also challenging, as you will need a lot of
servos for the control surfaces. Being limited to HTOL or horizontal take-off and landing will require a runway,
bungee-assisted take-off, and handheld and thrown through the wind to start its flight. Due to its
construction, this kind of classification will also make the UAV prone to turbulences. Despite that, it still has
some advantages, like having much more speed than the rest of the UAV and that it can glide through the air
whenever there is a power loss situation. It can also last much longer than the rest of the UAV, as it can
reserve power in the air because of its construction. Constructing this can also be flexible in design as there
are many aircraft fixed-wing designs out there that you can reference out your UAV, which will have various
advantages. With this kind of UAV classification design, you can attain maneuverability across multiple flight
conditions. Lastly, its design can be stealthier than that of other UAVs.
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ACTIVITY NO. 1 CLASSIFICATIONS OF UAV
• SINGLE-ROTOR UAV
-Single-rotor UAV or simply a helicopter configuration. With that, it can also experience the torque many
helicopters experience during flight. These can affect the aerial vehicle's maneuverability; therefore, an anti-
torque device or another extra rotor at its tail end should be needed. With this construction, you will also
need to find the center of gravity, like in a fixed-wing aircraft. With multi-rotor having to experience lesser
endurance, with this one, you cannot as you only have one main rotor, and therefore, less energy is needed
and, therefore, longer endurance. With this design, you can also maneuver more than the multi-rotor, and
with the help of the actuator in the main rotor, you can speed up more in one direction and, therefore, go
faster to distance a to distance b compared to a multi-rotor UAV. But with this UAV, there is also a challenge
and practice in flying this kind of UAV like the fixed-wing UAV. The Disadvantage is that it cannot glide like a
fixed wing and, therefore, is a challenge when power is lost. One of the advantages of this UAV is that it can
VTOL or vertical take-off and landing and can hover for a long time in a particular area. Although it has more
stability than the fixed wing, it can still be affected by turbulence during flight.
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ACTIVITY NO. 1 CLASSIFICATIONS OF UAV
• FIXED WING MULTI-ROTOR VTOL
-Fixed-wing multi-rotor VTOL UAVs or hybrids are among the most complicated UAVs to construct among
the other classes of UAVs. Due to its capability to provide a VTOL, vertical take-off and landing while having
a pusher or tractor type of propulsion that provides a greater thrust in flight, the construction of it will be
complex due to its requirements of having various servo or actuators to move the different type of
propulsion, or in its control it will need numerous channels to provide the capacity to control all the
equipment or system of this hybrid UAV. Among its advantages can be taken through the benefits of other
classes of UAVs, like the capability to hover around the area and monitor for a much more extended period
and then to speed up due to its greater thrust (horizontally) and the ease of taking-off and landing without
the requirement of a runway or bungee-assisted take-off. But of course, a complex system means complex
flying and, therefore, will need a lot of practice to fly and master this kind of UAV smoothly. The construction
of it will also be a challenge as you will consider its center of gravity and weight. Moreover, this hybrid UAV
can be labeled as the most efficient and is a multi-purpose UAV out there among the other classes.
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