Research and Development Status of Manned Electric Flapping-Wing Aircraft

Developing green aviation is a basic consensus in society. The development of manned electric flapping-wing aircraft has provided a bright technical path for realizing completely green aviation. This study has briefly introduced the development status of the driving mode of flapping-wing aircraft, the properties of electric aircraft and the composition of electric propulsion systems. Moreover, both the advantages and disadvantages of DC motors and polymer lithium batteries (two key components in an electric propulsion system) were analyzed. Through comprehensive comparison, electric drive was found to be appropriate for manned flapping-wing aircraft. Next, the objectives, research achievements, problems and challenges in the development process, as well as the detailed structure of manned flapping-wing aircraft, were clarified. Finally, future development directions have been presented.