Conception, Design and Flight Testing of a Tube-Launched Jettisonable-Fin Foldable Multirotor

Yuting Liu; Dongyue Du; Ming Zhou; Min Chang; Zhe Hui; Junqiang Bai

doi:10.1007/978-981-95-3034-2_38

Conception, Design and Flight Testing of a Tube-Launched Jettisonable-Fin Foldable Multirotor

Yuting Liu
, Dongyue Du
, Ming Zhou
, Min Chang
, Zhe Hui
, Junqiang Bai

Northwestern Polytechnical University Xian

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Conference contribution › peer-review

1 Scopus citations

Abstract

Tube-launched multirotor Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV), as rapid-response aerial platforms, demonstrate significant advantages in emergency reconnaissance and hazardous environment monitoring. While conventional designs employ tail fins to ensure post-launch passive stability, these structures often induce gust disturbances during mission phases. Addressing the inherent conflict between ballistic stability and operational efficiency in traditional tail configurations, this paper presents a Tube-Launched Jettisonable-Fin Foldable Multirotor (TL-JFM)—a foldable UAV featuring an innovative jettisonable-fin solution: the electromagnetically-actuated system actively jettison fins during the deployment phase following passive aerodynamic stabilization after launch. Constructed with 3D-printed carbon fiber composites, TL-JFM achieves vertical launches from 100 mm-diameter tubes. Experimental results confirm its 75 ms morphological transition capability and validate smooth transition from passive flight to active stabilization at 7.58 m/s initial velocity, with attitude recovery accomplished within 2 s.

Original language	English
Title of host publication	Proceedings of the 2nd Aerospace Frontiers Conference, AFC 2025 - Volume 1
Publisher	Springer Science and Business Media Deutschland GmbH
Pages	624-648
Number of pages	25
ISBN (Print)	9789819530335
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-95-3034-2_38
State	Published - 2026
Event	2nd Aerospace Frontiers Conference, AFC 2025 - Beijing, China Duration: 11 Apr 2025 → 14 Apr 2025

Publication series

Name	Lecture Notes in Mechanical Engineering
ISSN (Print)	2195-4356
ISSN (Electronic)	2195-4364

Conference

Conference	2nd Aerospace Frontiers Conference, AFC 2025
Country/Territory	China
City	Beijing
Period	11/04/25 → 14/04/25

Keywords

Arm Foldable Mechanism
Controller Design
Flight Testing
Launch Vehicles
Micro Air Vehicle (MAV)
Morphological UAV
Quadcopter Drone

Access to Document

10.1007/978-981-95-3034-2_38

Cite this

Liu, Y., Du, D., Zhou, M., Chang, M., Hui, Z., & Bai, J. (2026). Conception, Design and Flight Testing of a Tube-Launched Jettisonable-Fin Foldable Multirotor. In Proceedings of the 2nd Aerospace Frontiers Conference, AFC 2025 - Volume 1 (pp. 624-648). (Lecture Notes in Mechanical Engineering). Springer Science and Business Media Deutschland GmbH. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-95-3034-2_38

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title = "Conception, Design and Flight Testing of a Tube-Launched Jettisonable-Fin Foldable Multirotor",

abstract = "Tube-launched multirotor Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV), as rapid-response aerial platforms, demonstrate significant advantages in emergency reconnaissance and hazardous environment monitoring. While conventional designs employ tail fins to ensure post-launch passive stability, these structures often induce gust disturbances during mission phases. Addressing the inherent conflict between ballistic stability and operational efficiency in traditional tail configurations, this paper presents a Tube-Launched Jettisonable-Fin Foldable Multirotor (TL-JFM){\textemdash}a foldable UAV featuring an innovative jettisonable-fin solution: the electromagnetically-actuated system actively jettison fins during the deployment phase following passive aerodynamic stabilization after launch. Constructed with 3D-printed carbon fiber composites, TL-JFM achieves vertical launches from 100 mm-diameter tubes. Experimental results confirm its 75 ms morphological transition capability and validate smooth transition from passive flight to active stabilization at 7.58 m/s initial velocity, with attitude recovery accomplished within 2 s.",

keywords = "Arm Foldable Mechanism, Controller Design, Flight Testing, Launch Vehicles, Micro Air Vehicle (MAV), Morphological UAV, Quadcopter Drone",

author = "Yuting Liu and Dongyue Du and Ming Zhou and Min Chang and Zhe Hui and Junqiang Bai",

note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} Press of Acta Aeronautica et Astronautica Sinica 2026.; 2nd Aerospace Frontiers Conference, AFC 2025 ; Conference date: 11-04-2025 Through 14-04-2025",

year = "2026",

doi = "10.1007/978-981-95-3034-2\_38",

language = "英语",

isbn = "9789819530335",

series = "Lecture Notes in Mechanical Engineering",

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Liu, Y, Du, D, Zhou, M, Chang, M, Hui, Z & Bai, J 2026, Conception, Design and Flight Testing of a Tube-Launched Jettisonable-Fin Foldable Multirotor. in Proceedings of the 2nd Aerospace Frontiers Conference, AFC 2025 - Volume 1. Lecture Notes in Mechanical Engineering, Springer Science and Business Media Deutschland GmbH, pp. 624-648, 2nd Aerospace Frontiers Conference, AFC 2025, Beijing, China, 11/04/25. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-95-3034-2_38

Conception, Design and Flight Testing of a Tube-Launched Jettisonable-Fin Foldable Multirotor. / Liu, Yuting; Du, Dongyue; Zhou, Ming et al.
Proceedings of the 2nd Aerospace Frontiers Conference, AFC 2025 - Volume 1. Springer Science and Business Media Deutschland GmbH, 2026. p. 624-648 (Lecture Notes in Mechanical Engineering).

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Conference contribution › peer-review

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AU - Liu, Yuting

AU - Du, Dongyue

AU - Zhou, Ming

AU - Chang, Min

AU - Hui, Zhe

AU - Bai, Junqiang

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © Press of Acta Aeronautica et Astronautica Sinica 2026.

PY - 2026

Y1 - 2026

N2 - Tube-launched multirotor Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV), as rapid-response aerial platforms, demonstrate significant advantages in emergency reconnaissance and hazardous environment monitoring. While conventional designs employ tail fins to ensure post-launch passive stability, these structures often induce gust disturbances during mission phases. Addressing the inherent conflict between ballistic stability and operational efficiency in traditional tail configurations, this paper presents a Tube-Launched Jettisonable-Fin Foldable Multirotor (TL-JFM)—a foldable UAV featuring an innovative jettisonable-fin solution: the electromagnetically-actuated system actively jettison fins during the deployment phase following passive aerodynamic stabilization after launch. Constructed with 3D-printed carbon fiber composites, TL-JFM achieves vertical launches from 100 mm-diameter tubes. Experimental results confirm its 75 ms morphological transition capability and validate smooth transition from passive flight to active stabilization at 7.58 m/s initial velocity, with attitude recovery accomplished within 2 s.

AB - Tube-launched multirotor Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV), as rapid-response aerial platforms, demonstrate significant advantages in emergency reconnaissance and hazardous environment monitoring. While conventional designs employ tail fins to ensure post-launch passive stability, these structures often induce gust disturbances during mission phases. Addressing the inherent conflict between ballistic stability and operational efficiency in traditional tail configurations, this paper presents a Tube-Launched Jettisonable-Fin Foldable Multirotor (TL-JFM)—a foldable UAV featuring an innovative jettisonable-fin solution: the electromagnetically-actuated system actively jettison fins during the deployment phase following passive aerodynamic stabilization after launch. Constructed with 3D-printed carbon fiber composites, TL-JFM achieves vertical launches from 100 mm-diameter tubes. Experimental results confirm its 75 ms morphological transition capability and validate smooth transition from passive flight to active stabilization at 7.58 m/s initial velocity, with attitude recovery accomplished within 2 s.

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KW - Controller Design

KW - Flight Testing

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KW - Micro Air Vehicle (MAV)

KW - Morphological UAV

KW - Quadcopter Drone

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BT - Proceedings of the 2nd Aerospace Frontiers Conference, AFC 2025 - Volume 1

PB - Springer Science and Business Media Deutschland GmbH

T2 - 2nd Aerospace Frontiers Conference, AFC 2025

Y2 - 11 April 2025 through 14 April 2025

ER -

Conception, Design and Flight Testing of a Tube-Launched Jettisonable-Fin Foldable Multirotor

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