High-speed Unmanned General-purpose Observatory (HUGO)
Reusable test platform for high-speed aeroelastic research
A. Arends Martinez (TU Delft - Aerospace Engineering)
V. Byreddy (TU Delft - Aerospace Engineering)
G. Castro Lima da Silva (TU Delft - Aerospace Engineering)
T. Čokonaj (TU Delft - Aerospace Engineering)
P. Dimitrova (TU Delft - Aerospace Engineering)
A. Gheorghiu (TU Delft - Aerospace Engineering)
M. Gryszka (TU Delft - Aerospace Engineering)
A. Janeček (TU Delft - Aerospace Engineering)
H.M. Skrobanek (TU Delft - Aerospace Engineering)
C.G.M. Vistisen (TU Delft - Aerospace Engineering)
S. Giovani Pereira Castro – Mentor (TU Delft - Aerospace Engineering)
J. Iori – Mentor (TU Delft - Aerospace Engineering)
M. Radaelli – Mentor (TU Delft - Aerospace Engineering)
More Info
expand_more
Other than for strictly personal use, it is not permitted to download, forward or distribute the text or part of it, without the consent of the author(s) and/or copyright holder(s), unless the work is under an open content license such as Creative Commons.
Abstract
This report details the design, engineering, and commercial feasibility of the High-speed Unmanned General-purpose Observatory (HUGO), a 50 kg modular transonic flying laboratory. HUGO aims to address the gap between scale wind-tunnel testing and full-scale flight validation. Operating primarily at Mach 0.75, HUGO bypasses the wall-interference limitations of conventional transonic wind tunnels and the severe safety risks associated with manned flight testing. To meet its experimental objectives, the finalized airframe features a high-wing, T-tail configuration with a modular wing, canard and empennage ports and retractable steel landing gear. A defining feature of the platform is its customizable "Planform Envelope," which allows clients to interchange main wing configurations with aspect ratios ranging from 5 to 27, as well as various sweeps, chords and thickness profiles. To cost-effectively produce in low volumes, while maximizing structural efficiency, the airframe utilizes a composite monocoque structure capable of safely withstanding ultimate load factors of up to 9g. Propulsion is provided by twin fuselage-mounted JetCat P100-RX-BL micro-turbines, enabling HUGO to execute a 30-minute nominal mission that includes a five-minute Mach 0.75 test segment at FL270. Because high-fidelity data collection is the core value proposition of a flying laboratory, the aircraft is equipped with a comprehensive payload suite, including dual LIDAR wing deflection sensors, 16 surface-mounted strain gauges, and 6-axis load cells, to isolate and measure aerodynamic forces. Commercially, HUGO targets a €14.2 million Serviceable Obtainable Market within the Dutch wind tunnel testing ecosystem and is projected to operate profitably at a rate of €25,000 per flight day. Operations will be based out of Den Helder Airport under the EASA SC-Light-UAS High-risk classification, with regulatory compliance maintained through the simultaneous acquisition of a Type Certificate and Design Organisation Approval (DOA), which allows internal certification of modifications made to the aircraft on a per experiment basis.