Airfoil Data
RAE103
RAE 103 AIRFOIL
Wing Geometry Simulator
The RAE 103 AIRFOIL is a thin 5.0% chord-thickness airfoil with a maximum camber of 2.5% at 40% 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 -2.5°.
Thin airfoil theory predicts a stall angle near 12.0° and a peak lift-to-drag ratio around 49 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.
The RAE103 appears in the wing design of at least 2 documented aircraft, including designs from Short and Supermarine. Its proven track record across canard designs makes it one of the more field-validated profiles in the UIUC database.
Designers evaluating the RAE103 typically compare it against profiles of similar thickness: HQ 0/10 AIRFOIL, RAE 102 AIRFOIL, NACA 0010-64, NACA 0010-65, NASA SC(2)-0710 AIRFOIL. The FX 79-L-100 is another reference profile frequently considered alongside it.
Aircraft Using the RAE103 Airfoil
Wing lofting: 1 of these aircraft taper from RAE103 at the root to a different tip section. Use the Tapered filter to isolate them, then click any tip airfoil link to compare geometries.
Related Airfoils
Engineers evaluating the RAE103 frequently compare it against profiles with comparable geometric constraints. Below are the closest matches based on maximum thickness (5.0%) and max camber (2.5%).