Introduction
The 2024-25 Advanced Aircraft Design (AAD) project is a continuation of the conceptual design started in 2022-23 and progressed in 2023-24. In 2024-25, students from Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering are working under the supervision of lead engineers to design a hybrid-electric advanced air mobility aircraft for wildfire spotting and suppression. The “BumbleB” is powered by a hydrogen fuel cell and small multi-fuel turbogenerator. This category AWM-523/527 aircraft uses 8 actuated electric ducted fans (EDFs) on the upper wing and two on the nose to enable vertical take-off and landing for remote locations that are not served by conventional airfields. The 2024-25 BumbleB aircraft is optionally piloted and being designed to enable advanced beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) operations.
2024-25 Project Poster
