UAVs are commonly referred to as unmanned aerial vehicles, remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPAS), and drones. These unmanned aerial systems are flown by a pilot via a ground control system or autonomously using an on-board computer, communication links, and any additional equipment necessary for the unmanned aircraft to operate safely. In general, the UAV propulsion system provides the necessary power to kickstart flight or hover in an aircraft. In UAVs, the thrust is generated based on Newton’s third law of motion, which is defined as that for every action, there is always an equal and opposite reaction. The different types of propulsion systems we consider in our study include piston engines, turbine engines, turbofan engines, electrically powered engines, Wankel engines, and solar-powered engines.
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