Pitch-axis supermanoeuvrability in a biomimetic morphing-wing aircraft

Birds and bats are extraordinarily adept flyers: whether in hunting prey, or evading predators, their agility and manoeuvrability in flight are characteristics of vital importance. Their performance, in this regard, greatly exceeds that of conventional aircraft. Attempts to close this gap in capability have typically focused on thrust-vectoring technology - the domain of classical supermanoeuvrability - at the expense of biomimicry. In this work, however, we show that these approaches are not incompatible: biomimetic wing morphing is an avenue both to classical supermanoeuvrability, and to new forms of biologically-inspired supermanoeuvrability. Using a state-of-the-art flight simulator, equipped with a multibody model of lifting surface motion and a Goman-Khrabrov dynamic stall model for all lifting surfaces, we demonstrate the capability of a biomimetic morphing-wing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) for two key forms of supermanoeuvrability: the Pugachev cobra, and ballistic transition. Conclusions are drawn as to the mechanism by which these manoeuvres can be performed, and their feasibility in practical biomimetic unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). These conclusions have wide relevance to both the design of supermanoeuvrable UAVs, and the study of biological flight dynamics across multiple species.