Airfoil Data
NACA16006

The NACA 16-006 is a thin 3.0% chord-thickness airfoil with a maximum camber of 1.5% at 50% chord, suited to high-speed UAVs, sailplane tip sections, and propeller blade design. At zero angle of attack the cambered geometry generates positive lift, giving an estimated zero-lift angle of -1.5°.

Thin airfoil theory predicts a stall angle near 12.1° and a peak lift-to-drag ratio around 44 at typical UAV and light-aircraft Reynolds numbers — useful benchmarks before running a full XFOIL or NeuralFoil polar. The slim profile minimises pressure drag at higher speeds but leaves limited spar depth for structural integration.

Designers evaluating the NACA16006 typically compare it against profiles of similar thickness: NASA SC(2)-0706 AIRFOIL, NASA SC(2)-0606 AIRFOIL, NASA SC(2)-1006 AIRFOIL, EPPLER EA 8(-1)-006 AIRFOIL, NACA 0006. The NACA M9 AIRFOIL is another reference profile frequently considered alongside it.