The Firefly is an experimental unmanned aerial vehicle designed to operate in novel conditions. Its mission is to act as a smart missile flare to protect larger jet airplanes from tracking weapons systems. The UAV is rocket powered and operates in transonic (Mach .8) at 35,000 ft and above. The mission includes a minimum of 5 minutes of flight. This project will cover essential aspects of aircraft development. New solid rocket fuel has been developed for Firefly, and rocket burn tests shall be conducted to determine thrust. The aircraft will undergo mechanical design for packaging constraints. The aircraft performance will be modeled with CFD. The project will culminate in manufacturing a prototype and submitting it to a battery of physical tests and simulations of flight conditions

I am looking to use this SuperUROP as a capstone of my education in Aerospace Engineering. This project covers all areas of aircraft design and will allow me to fully understand the development process. I am excited to have the opportunity to learn through hands-on experience, through rigorous testing and simulation, and through combining my classroom education to date with an out-of-class project.