This work aims to achieve real-time monitoring of strains and structural displacements for the target Joined-Wing aircraft. To this end, a Fiber Optic Sensing System (FOSS) is designed and deployed in the aircraft. The classical modal method, which is used for Strain-to-Displacement Transformation (SDT), is improved to adapt to different boundary conditions by introducing extra constraint equations. The method is first verified by numerical studies on a cantilever beam model and the high-fidelity finite element model of the Joined-Wing aircraft. Ground static tests are then carried out to further demonstrate the capability of the developed FOSS and SDT algorithm in practical application. The results have shown that the improved modal method is able to predict structural deformation under different boundary conditions by using only free–free modes. In addition, the errors between the predicted displacement and the reference in the ground test are within 10%, which proves the FOSS has reasonable accuracy and the potential for future flight tests.

Moving mass control (MMC) is considered a promising approach to regulating the attitude of an aircraft via the motion of internal moving masses. The present investigation proposes a moving mass control scheme for a high-altitude long-endurance (HALE) unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) with a single slider moving longitudinally. To that end, a longitudinal nonlinear motion model is established, and pitch dynamics are analyzed. Furthermore, the influence of the slider parameters on the dynamic characteristics of the UAV and the change in control efficiency with speed are analyzed. Finally, a detailed root-locus-based stability and sensitivity analysis of the proposed control scheme is formulated. At an altitude of 20,000 m, the MMC scheme’s efficiency coefficient was 200% of that of elevator scheme at the cruise speed. The simulation results show that the control efficiency of the moving mass control scheme was significantly higher than that of the traditional elevator control scheme under the conditions of high altitude and low speed.

Maritime security is vital to national security. The application of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) clusters in marine anti-submarine warfare (ASW) presents a new and significant challenge worthy of in-depth study. Based on the anti-submarine principle of geomagnetic anomaly detection and the Find-Fix-Track-Target-Engage-Assess (F2T2EA) framework, this paper divides UAV cluster ASW operations into two stages: regional coverage and cooperative convergence. The regional coverage stage enables the UAV cluster to perform a broad search for submarines, while the cooperative convergence stage facilitates the precise positioning of detected submarines. In simulation, the combat scenario of five UAV clusters against a submarine is carried out. In the given area, the UAV can locate and stalk the target submarine in limited time. Simulation results demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed approach, providing reference for advancing marine ASW capabilities and related research.

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) with an ultra-large aspect ratio and a joined-wing configuration exhibit characteristics such as minimal mass, remarkable flexibility, and a unified wing structure, thereby presenting a significant challenge in accurately assessing their dynamic behaviors in terrestrial environments. This study focuses on a specific UAV model characterized by an ultra-large aspect ratio and a joined-wing configuration, which underwent experimental scrutiny under free-free conditions, encompassing the entire aircraft. A rubber rope suspension mechanism was employed to support the UAV, and deliberate efforts were made to eliminate the additional stiffness effect, thus facilitating precise determination of the aircraft’s modal characteristics. Subsequent ground-based servoelasticity tests were conducted based on modal experimentation, and specialized filtering techniques were developed to enhance stability. Finally, an analysis of aeroservoelastic stability revealed a strong correlation between simulation and experimental results, with the UAV demonstrating high stability margins in aeroservoelasticity.

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) with an ultralarge aspect ratio and a joined‐wing configuration are light in mass and highly flexible, which makes it challenging to identify their dynamic characteristics underground modal test conditions. In this paper, a full‐aircraft ground modal test was conducted for a UAV with an ultralarge aspect ratio and a joined‐wing configuration under an approximately free–free suspension condition. A rubber‐cord suspension system was adopted to approximate the free–free boundary condition, and the influence of the suspension stiffness was evaluated and corrected for the most affected low‐frequency mode. A test model based on the measurement points was established in I‐deas for suspension‐stiffness correction, and ModalStar2.0 was used for modal data acquisition and phase‐resonance tuning. The structural modal parameters were identified using a combined phase separation/phase resonance procedure. Subsequently, a finite element model of the studied UAV was constructed and used for modal analysis. The comparison between the experimental and finite element modal results indicates that the model can reproduce the dominant low‐frequency global modal characteristics of the studied aircraft at an engineering level. The results provide experimental modal data and a practical reference for ground modal testing of ultralarge‐aspect‐ratio joined‐wing UAVs.