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Citation:
　Chiyu Wang,Zhiming Qiu,Zhaoyong Mao,et al.Flight Trajectory Design and Simulation Analysis of a High-Altitude, Long-Distance Gliding UUV[J].Journal of Marine Science and Application,2026,(5):1349-1363.[doi:10.1007/s11804-026-00794-w]
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Flight Trajectory Design and Simulation Analysis of a High-Altitude, Long-Distance Gliding UUV

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Title:
Flight Trajectory Design and Simulation Analysis of a High-Altitude, Long-Distance Gliding UUV
Author(s):
Chiyu Wang1;  Zhiming Qiu1; 2;  Zhaoyong Mao1; 3; 4;  Peiyu Chen5;  Fengtianyi Huang1; 6;  Yajun Chai1;  Yuxian Yang1;  Wenjun Ding1; 3; 4
Affilations:
Author(s):
Chiyu Wang1;  Zhiming Qiu1; 2;  Zhaoyong Mao1; 3; 4;  Peiyu Chen5;  Fengtianyi Huang1; 6;  Yajun Chai1;  Yuxian Yang1;  Wenjun Ding1; 3; 4
1 Unmanned System Research Institute, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi’an 710072, China;
2 Naval Research Academy, Beijing 100161, China;
3 National Key Laboratory of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Technology, Xi’an 710072, China;
4 Integrated Research and Development Platform of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Technology, Xi’an 710072, China;
5 Beijing Aerospace Automatic Control Institute, Beijing 100854, China;
6 School of Automation, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi’an 710072, China
Keywords:
Penetration; Unmanned underwater vehicle; High-altitude; Long-distance gliding; Flight trajectory; Smooth conversion
分类号:
-
DOI:
10.1007/s11804-026-00794-w
Abstract:
To enhance the long-distance penetration and combat capabilities of unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs), this study proposes a high-altitude, long-distance gliding UUV that can be rapidly deployed by a penetration platform. According to the overall scheme, the overall trajectory is partitioned into five distinct stages: the flight stage of the penetration platform, the release stage, the conversion stage, the glide stage, and the water entry stage of the gliding UUV, with trajectory characteristics discussed for each operational segment. UUV conversion, after its release from the penetration platform, is accomplished by designing a piecewise quadratic trajectory inclination angle. The feasibility of the conversion stage trajectory design is validated using a RHC algorithm. The influence of different initial velocities on UUV conversion is also investigated. The glide stage employs a reverse thrust methodology to ensure water entry safety. Trajectory characteristics in the five different stages are studied, with the simulation verifying the rationality of the overall trajectory. Accordingly, the UUV achieves a total flight range of 410 km within 633.5 s, with the designed trajectory enabling smooth conversion and high-altitude glide performance. The water entry velocity of the UUV is 33.3 m/s, and the water entry angle is -72°, meeting the requirements of load shedding on UUVs. The reasonably designed trajectory of the high-altitude, long-distance gliding UUV establishes a foundation for subsequent engineering validation.

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Memo

Memo:
Received date:2025-3-1;Accepted date:2025-11-22。<br>Foundation item:Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. U24B20115, 52471346, 51909206), Natural Science Basic Research Plan in Shaanxi Province of China (Grant No. 2024JC-YBMS-300), China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (Grant No. 2021M692616), and Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (Grant No. 31020200QD044).<br>Corresponding author:Wenjun Ding,E-mail:dingwenjun@nwpu.edu.cn
Last Update: 2026-11-04