A new concept is developed for an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) config
ured with a tipjet-driven, two-bladed, stoppable rotor and circulation
control airfoils, The vehicle's high-aspect ratio wing ''converts'' t
o a tipjet-driven helicopter rotor for vertical takeoff and landing (V
TOL). The conceptual design is presented for a 1200-lb Tipjet VTOL UAV
that is suitable for performing various Navy UAV missions, Vehicle pe
rformance predictions are included for the key flight regimes of hover
, low-speed rotary-wing flight, and conversion between rotary-wing and
fixed-wing flight, Results of standard mission performance analyses i
ndicate that the 1200-lb Tipjet VTOL UAV is a viable candidate vehicle
for the designated Navy UAV missions, Moreover, the Tipjet concept is
directly applicable to much larger UAVs that will greatly enhance nav
al warfare capabilities.