A Standardized Mid-Fidelity Aerodynamic Comparison of Four Tiltrotor eVTOL Configurations Using SUAVE and VSPAero

<div class="section abstract"><div class="htmlview paragraph">This study compares 4 representative tiltrotor platforms: Joby S4, Archer Midnight, Vertical Aerospace VX4, and Uber eCRM-001 in a typical UAM mission profile under standardized rotor and wing assumptions using an integrated OpenVSP-SUAVE-VSPAero framework. This work aims to isolate the influence of eVTOL configuration from proprietary optimizations on thrust generation and aerodynamic interaction by using standard wing airfoils and a consistent rotor design tool.</div><div class="htmlview paragraph">Vehicle geometries were modeled in OpenVSP. Rotor Operating conditions were obtained from the SUAVE conceptual design platform. Mid-fidelity aerodynamic analysis was done using VSPAero.</div><div class="htmlview paragraph">SUAVE results show a decrease in thrust requirements as the tilt angle decreases, with the most complexity occurring in the transition phase where lift shifts from rotors to wing. Archer Midnight and Vertical Aerospace VX4 show higher hover thrust requirements due to their high takeoff weights. They display localized thrust increase near mid transition due to numerical adjustments made to achieve solver convergence. Joby S4 and Uber eCRM-001 display a smoother thrust requirement trend. VSPAero simulations also show a gradual decrease in thrust from hover to cruise. Joby S4’s continuously active rotor configuration maintained more stable performance than the hybrid configurations, which deactivate lift-only rotors after takeoff.</div><div class="htmlview paragraph">A comparative flight feasibility a