MALE UAV design of an increased reliability level

Purpose - This study seeks to present the initial requirements for medium altitude long endurance (MALE) UAV design of an increased reliability.Design methodology approach - Shows and describes the successive design phases of PW-103 MALE UAV.Findings - The analysis of the performances of the PW-103 UAV, powered by either a main or an auxiliary engine, demonstrated that auxiliary power unit improved flight safety significantly.Originality value - Successive MALE UAV configurations developed in the design process were aerodynamically more efficient than their predecessors.