Air vehicle sizing requires the ability to estimate the propulsive power and energy requirements of a flight vehicle as well as its weight. Existing tools and methods for aircraft sizing typically focus on a specific air vehicle category, generally assume a conventional fuel-burning propulsion system architecture, and employ a point-mass performance model. These shortcomings limit or preclude their applicability to novel concepts that differ from conventional fixed- or rotary-wing aircraft in configuration, employ all-electric or hybrid-electric propulsion systems, transition between different modes of flight, use propulsors in the dual role of control effectors, and/or offset weight in flight with a time-varying combination of aerodynamic lift, buoyant lift, and thrust. This paper demonstrates a methodology whereby flight performance, mission analysis, and energy sizing concepts are generalized and combined with explicit consideration of vehicle trim and geometry parameterization within a vehicle sizing and performance analysis framework intended for novel vehicle configurations and propulsion system architectures. The general applicability of the proposed methodology and developed framework is demonstrated through sizing and performance analyses of three dissimilar vehicle concepts: 1) a conventional twin-engine general aviation aircraft, 2) an all-electric vertical takeoff and landing lift-plus-cruise configuration, and 3) a hybrid lift airship.

航空器的尺寸确定需要能够估计飞行器的推进功率和能量需求以及其重量。现有的用于飞机选型的工具和方法通常集中在特定的飞行器类别上，通常采用常规的燃料燃烧推进系统架构，并采用点质量性能模型。这些缺点限制或阻止了它们在结构上不同于常规固定翼或旋翼飞机，采用全电动或混合电动推进系统，在不同的飞行模式之间转换，在双重控制中使用推进器的新颖概念的适用性气动升力，浮力升力和推力随时间变化的组合，在飞行中产生效应器和/或抵消重量。本文演示了一种方法，通过该方法可以提高飞行性能，概括了任务分析和能量估算的概念，并将其与针对车辆新颖性和性能分析框架的车辆配平和几何参数化的明确考虑相结合，以用于新颖的车辆配置和推进系统架构。通过对三种不同车辆概念的大小和性能分析，证明了所提出方法和框架的普遍适用性：1）传统的双引擎通用航空飞机； 2）全电动垂直起飞和着陆升空加巡航配置，以及3）混合式升降飞艇。概括了能量和能量大小的概念，并将其与明确考虑车辆修整和几何参数设置相结合，以用于新颖的车辆配置和推进系统架构的汽车大小和性能分析框架内。通过对三种不同车辆概念的大小和性能分析，证明了所提出方法和框架的普遍适用性：1）传统的双引擎通用航空飞机； 2）全电动垂直起飞和着陆升空加巡航配置，以及3）混合式升降飞艇。概括了能量和能量大小的概念，并将其与明确考虑车辆修整和几何参数设置相结合，以用于新颖的车辆配置和推进系统架构的汽车大小和性能分析框架内。通过对三种不同车辆概念的大小和性能分析，证明了所提出方法和框架的普遍适用性：1）传统的双引擎通用航空飞机； 2）全电动垂直起飞和着陆升空加巡航配置，以及3）混合式升降飞艇。