Development of an integrated propulsion and pneumatic power supply system for flapless UAVs

Fluidic actuators, such as Circulation Control (CC) and Fluidic Thrust Vectoring (FTV), have the potential to remove the need for conventional hinged control surfaces. One of the core components of a fluidic system is a Pneumatic Power Supply (PPS). This paper describes the design, development and test of an integrated propulsion and Pneumatic Power Supply system based on engine compressor bleed. The generic design may be retrofitted onto most 'commercial off the shelf micro-jet turbine engines. Experimental results obtained through the testing of flight representative hardware show that the accuracy of the modeling tools detailed in this paper are fit for the purpose of initial system design.