
Research Aircraft for eVTOL Enabling techNologies
An enduring, open-source flight research capability
WHAT IS RAVEN?
NASA is collaborating with Georgia Tech to design, build and fly a ~1000 lb. unmanned research aircraft for Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) at modest cost and in a relevant timeline. This aircraft will enable researchers and industry partners to obtain and publish unique flight test data at a relevant scale, provide a platform to develop practical methods for AAM vehicle design and operation, and train the next generation of aerospace engineers.
WHY RAVEN?
- Provides open flight data that is publicly available to accelerate the emerging AAM market
- Addresses “real world” issues in EVTOL design and development for AAM through relevant scale
- Allows larger research payloads (e.g., avionics, sensors, flight computers) through adequate size
- Presents configuration representative of industry eVTOLs, with relevant challenges in aerodynamics, propulsion integration, acoustics, and flight control
- Offers “fast to flight” at modest cost by leveraging off-the-shelf airframe and components
- Serves as more than just a flight demonstrator: a “flying laboratory” for enduring research and technology development
NASA engineers and technicians are contributing to the development of noise and safety standards for advanced air mobility aircraft, but the agency is having to do this work with limited knowledge about the coming designs, given how closely companies are guarding their innovations in this fiercely competitive market.
–Aerospace America
PUBLICATIONS
Efficient Variable-Pitch Propeller Aerodynamic Model Development for Vectored-Thrust eVTOL Aircraft
Simmons, B. M.
AIAA Aviation Forum, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, 27 Jun – 1 Jul 2022, Chicago, IL & Virtual
https://doi.org/10.2514/6.2022-3817
https://ntrs.nasa.gov/citations/20220005627
https://ntrs.nasa.gov/citations/20220006276
Rapid Flight Control Law Deployment and Testing Framework for Subscale VTOL Aircraft
Asper, G. D. and Simmons, B. M.
NASA Technical Memorandum 20220011570, 01 Sep 2022, NASA Langley Research Center
https://ntrs.nasa.gov/citations/20220011570
Status of UAM Proprotor Design Validation Campaign: Available Data and Computational Tools
Lopes, L. V., Ingraham, D. J., and Zawodny, N. S.
NASA Acoustics Technical Working Group, 05 Oct 2022, NASA Glenn Research Center
https://ntrs.nasa.gov/citations/20220015053
Design and Development of an Aircraft Electric Powertrain Test Stand
Jha, A., Puligundla, V., Paravano, J., and German, B.
AIAA SciTech Forum, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, 23-27 Jan 2023, National Harbor, MD & Online
https://doi.org/10.2514/6.2023-2008
https://ntrs.nasa.gov/citations/20230003539
COMING SOON
Influence of the Perception, Observer Position, and Broadband Self Noise on Low-Fidelity UAM Vehicle Perception-Influenced-Design (PID) Optimization
Lopes, L. and Ingraham, D.
VFS Forum 79, Vertical Flight Society, 16-18 May 2023, West Palm Beach, FL
To be published
Design and Programmatic Overview of the Research Aircraft for eVTOL Enabling techNologies (RAVEN) Activity
German, B. J., Jha, A., Whiteside, S. K. S., Welstead, J. R., and Blaesser, N. B.
AIAA Aviation 2023, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, 12-16 June 2023, San Diego, CA
To be published
Rapid Aero-Propulsive Modeling for Distributed Propulsion Aircraft Using a Mid-Fidelity Flow Solver
Simmons, B. M., Ahuja, V., and Geuther, S. C.
AIAA Aviation Forum, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, 12-16 June 2023, San Diego, CA and online
To be published
Preliminary Aero-Propulsive Models for the RAVEN SWFT eVTOL Aircraft
Simmons, B. M., et al.
NASA Technical Memorandum, 2023, NASA Langley Research Center
In preparation
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This work is supported by:
- Revolutionary Aviation Mobility, Transformational Tools & Technologies Project, Transformative Aeronautics Concepts Program, NASA
- Convergent Aeronautics Solutions Project, Transformative Aeronautics Concepts Program, NASA
- Aeronautics Research Directorate, NASA Langley Research Center
- Internal Research & Development Funds, Georgia Institute of Technology
For partnership opportunities or questions, please reach out to:
Siena Whiteside, siena.k.whiteside@nasa.gov
