Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) are currently used for a variety of purposes and have seen rapid technological advancements recently. These uses include military, civilian, agricultural, surveillance, and more. With the widespread adoption of UAVs, several issues have arisen. For instance, fixed-wing UAVs can stay in the air for extended periods and carry heavy payloads, but their operation becomes impossible if a suitable runway is not available. In contrast, rotary-wing UAVs do not require a runway, but their payload capacity and flight duration are significantly lower. Many UAV models are fixed-wing and require a runway for takeoff and landing. Without an appropriate runway, these UAVs cannot perform their missions.
   To address these issues, Vertical Take-Off and Landing (VTOL) systems, which have been widely used in gas turbine-powered military aircraft for a long time, are now being adapted for the UAV sector. There are hybrid designs combining fixed-wing and rotary-wing UAVs. These designs use rotary-wing UAVs (quadcopter) for vertical takeoff and fixed-wing configurations for horizontal flight, allowing the UAV to reduce electricity consumption significantly. However, existing VTOL UAVs are generally designed with similar architectures, and both rotary-wing and fixed-wing VTOL vehicles on the market have relatively low cruising speeds. Using separate motors for vertical and horizontal flight in a VTOL vehicle is also disadvantageous in terms of weight and cost.
In contrast to similar designs, this thesis presents a unique and more practical UAV design. The project involves the design of an electrically ducted fan (EDF) VTOL UAV with variable thrust vectoring capabilities. Instead of traditional brushless motors with propellers, the design utilizes electric fan motors with higher output speeds. The UAV features four electric fan motors (EDF) which enable both vertical and horizontal flight through their motion. Each EDF motor has a shaft in its outer casing, which is rotated by the electric motor to achieve phase transitions. The motor housing rotates in three phases: the first phase involves vertical takeoff with the motors oriented perpendicular to the ground, the second phase involves transitioning to horizontal flight by tilting the motors 65 degrees to achieve the "stall" speed, and the third phase aligns the motors parallel to the ground. This allows the same motors to be used for both vertical and horizontal flight, making the UAV more efficient compared to other VTOL UAVs.
   The aerodynamic design of the UAV has been carefully crafted with future goals in mind. Additionally, due to the geometric similarities between electric fan motors and gas turbine model jet engines, the project aims to use these motors in the second version of the design. VTOL UAVs are needed in critical areas; for example, the Şehit Kurmay Yarbay İlker Çelikcan Border Post (Dağlıca Post) is located at an altitude of 1,562 meters in mountainous terrain in Hakkâri Yüksekova. There is no runway available for UAVs in the area, and the nearest air base, Diyarbakır Main Jet Base Command, is 556 km away. In an emergency situation, the UAV could take off vertically to conduct surveillance and, if necessary, perform strikes with its payloads. This project involves the design of an EDF VTOL UAV.
The design update has been made in the Jet Drone project and the manufacturing phase has started, and international project partnerships are welcomed in the prototype and mass production stages.