ABSTRACT
This paper study suggests the specifications for high-efficiency, short-haul utility aircraft. This class of aircraft is used extensively in the multinational express package delivery service. Concurrent with the COVID 19 pandemic upending passenger travel, there has been a broad increase in the demand for air cargo. We forecast a need for more efficient short and medium range aircraft that offer route time savings and lower operating costs. Using current market planes designed with similar mission requirements, payloads, and engines – a general plane was created and optimized around the operating model of the present-day FedEx package delivery feeder fleet. The modification and optimization process was completed using a Model-Based-Systems-Engineering (MBSE) approach utilizing Phoenix Integration’s ModelCenter, Excel, MATLAB, and SOLIDWORKS. The final design achieved 40% improvement in fuel efficiency over the current fleet, and improvements in speed, payload, and range while in compliance with FAA regulations as a class E cargo aircraft certified under 14 CFR Part 25. © 2022, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Inc, AIAA. All rights reserved.