Linear electro-mechanical actuators are finding increased use in the field of thrust vectoring of launch vehicles. Earlier, linear electro-hydraulic actuators were used especially in the lower stages of the launch vehicles where there is a requirement for large actuation forces. However, electro-mechanical actuators are being scrutinized for this purpose in an effort to provide lighter, cleaner...

Turbojet engines have a slow response and require mechanical assistance to perform vertical take-offs landings. In this paper, we propose take-off landing (VTOL) aircraft that contains one-dimensional thrust vectoring nozzle modules solve the problem of dependence on turbojet. The turbojet engine is placed horizontally in module, rotational speeds are fixed, force along axis remains constant as...

Flight tests recently completed at the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center evaluated performance of a hydromechanically vectored axisymmetric nozzle onboard the F-15 ACTIVE. A flight-test technique whereby strain gages installed onto engine mounts provided for the direct measurement of thrust and vector forces has proven to be extremely valuable. Flow turning and thrust efficiency, as well as no...

Modern high-performance combat aircraft exceed conventional flight-envelope limits on maneuverability through the use of thrust vectoring, and so achieve supermaneuverability. With ongoing development biomimetic unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), potential for supermaneuverability mechanisms becomes apparent. So far, this has not been well studied: UAVs have yet shown to be capable any forms clas...

The design of the Linear Gridless Ion Thruster, or LGIT, is presented in detail. The LGIT is a hybrid thruster that combines an ionization stage similar to those normally found on gridded ion engines with the acceleration mechanism of a Hall effect thruster. This thruster also features a linear geometry, which simplifies the design of the magnetic circuit while making the LGIT particularly well...

This paper focuses on the design of a stabilizing control law for an aerial vehicle which is physically connected to a ground station by means of a tether cable. By taking advantage of the tensile force acting along the taut cable, it is shown that the tethered UAV is able to maintain a non-zero attitude while hovering in a constant position. The control objective is to stabilize the desired co...