Abstract: The importance of developing unmanned aerial vehicles(UAV) is discussed first. Two types of UAV including high altitude long endurance(HALE) UAV and unmanned combat air vehicles(UCAV) are introduced. The key elements of their aerodynamic characteristics and shape design are discussed. A new hybrid design idea and a multi-objective/multi-point optimization design method based on CFD are given as a design tool for special profiles of a HALE UAV. The basic requirements of its 3D wing design and its 3D natural laminar flow wing design are discussed too. The importance of aerodynamic/stealthy performance integral design is emphasized for the design of UCAV. The necessity and hardness of blending the advanced aerodynamic control and the vector propulsion for UCAV’s flying wing configuration are pointed out.

Key words: unmanned aerial vehicle, aerodynamics, aerodynamic design