Three-axis control of tailless aircraft using fluidic actuators: MAGMA case study

View Video Presentation: https://doi.org/10.2514/6.2021-2530.vid This paper presents an assessment of the opportunity for full three-axis control of the MAGMA aircraft with the fins removed using a combination of Fluidic Thrust Vectoring, Circulation Control and Wingtip Reaction Jets. Effectiveness of the fluidic actuators is defined by values derived from previous flight test campaigns. Simulations are undertaken to assess the mass flow required to fly a typical mission for the aircraft. Results show that by using the circulation control devices for roll and pitch control, and the fluidic thrust vectoring for yaw full control can be achieved using a mean value of 60% of the available mass flow from the engine. This result indicates that it would be possible to demonstrate full three-axis control of a sub-scale demonstrator aircraft within the limits of current manufacturing technology.