Validation#

RCAIDE’s physics-based methods are systematically validated against experimental data and high-fidelity simulations to ensure engineering accuracy across a range of vehicle classes and flight conditions.

Aerodynamic Validation#

Aerodynamic predictions were evaluated against NASA wind-tunnel data for the Common Research Model (CRM), a representative transonic transport configuration used as an industry benchmark.

NASA Common Research Model

Results demonstrate strong agreement with experimental data:

  • Lift coefficient (CL): R² = 0.96

  • Drag coefficient (CD): R² = 0.94

Lift coefficient vs angle of attack Drag coefficient vs angle of attack Pitching moment vs angle of attack

Full V&V Suite#

The complete Verification and Validation suite is located in the VnV/ directory of the RCAIDE repository:

  • VnV/Validation/ — regression tests against experimental and reference data

  • VnV/Verification/ — unit and integration tests for numerical correctness

  • VnV/Vehicles/ — reference vehicle configurations used in testing

For full methodology details and additional validation cases, see the methods paper:

Clarke, M. A., et al. RCAIDE: An Open-Source Framework for Multidisciplinary Aerospace Vehicle Design and Analysis. Aerospace Science and Technology, 2026. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ast.2026.112328