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Drone & UAV design: how Ansys helps

Endurance, payload, and survivability of a UAV all trace back to aerodynamics and structural weight. Simulation lets a small team iterate airframes fast and prove ruggedness without a fleet of test articles.

Drone & UAV design simulation visualization

Illustrative simulation render. Actual studies are built to your geometry and requirements.

The Ansys tools that model it

Fluent — Aerodynamic CFD for lift, drag, propeller and rotor performance, and stability.
Mechanical — Lightweight structural and modal analysis of airframes and mounts.
LS-DYNA — Crash, bird-strike, and hard-landing impact behavior for airworthiness and survivability.

Fluent ↗Mechanical ↗LS-DYNA ↗

Who funds it

Programs that fund this work

Typical funders: AFWERX · Army · DIU autonomy. Explore award sizes, deadlines, and direct links to every source in the Funding Finder.

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What we provide

Free to start

Free Ansys evaluation licenses for the tools above, free engineering support to apply them to your MVP, and a free check on your Ansys Startup Program eligibility. Software and engineering only, never application advice.

How the free offers work →

Talk it through

Simulating drone & uav design? Let's get Ansys in your hands.

Tell us about your project — incorporated, in stealth, or still an idea — and we'll line up the right Ansys tools and an engineer to help you validate the physics.

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Relevant Ansys product pages: Fluent on ansys.com ↗ Mechanical on ansys.com ↗ LS-DYNA on ansys.com ↗