Gipfelhöhenberechnung des Forschungsflugzeuges Antares DLR H2

Kurzfassung

In the following paper, the maximum flight altitude of the Antares DLR H2 will be calculated to evaluate the suitability of the aircraft for high-altitude test flights for fuel cell systems. The Antares DLR H2 is a research aircraft from the DLR e.V. based on the Lange Antares 20E. The aircraft was used to prove the concept of fuel cell propulsion for aviation applications. The aerodynamic basics will be explained and used in combination with the flight performance values of the Antares 20E to calculate the aerodynamic limits of the airplane. Different Influences will be taken into account to receive a more realistic result. Those Influences include the additional drag caused by the pods for the fuel cell system and the varying Reynolds numbers for different altitudes. The airframe by itself is limited by the maximum lift coefficient and maximum airspeed to an altitude of 18.300 m. Considering all influences and restrictions, the ceiling altitude is limited to 5.450 m. With some slight modifications, it might be possible to increase this limit significantly.