Aerodynamic Verification and Validation of SUAVE

SUAVE, as a conceptual-level aircraft design tool, must reliably produce aerodynamic data for new vehicle designs. To ensure that SUAVE can continue to produce accurate data, a series of studies is conducted to examine the behavior of new aerodynamic analyses. These studies helped serve as both verification and validation of SUAVE's software base. Several common aerodynamic models were used, including the NASA Common Research Model, the NASA X-57 Maxwell, PROWIM, and the Onera M6 as well as two simple computational models used for verification. A detailed comparison of SUAVE to both computational and experimental results is shown herein. The goal of this study is not only to provide confidence to users, but also to demonstrate new aerodynamic methods and best practices.