Airfoil Data
RAF15
RAF 15 AIRFOIL
Wing Geometry Simulator
The RAF 15 AIRFOIL is a thin 5.6% chord-thickness airfoil with a maximum camber of 2.8% at 30% 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 -2.8°.
Thin airfoil theory predicts a stall angle near 11.9° and a peak lift-to-drag ratio around 51 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 RAF15 appears in the wing design of at least 85 documented aircraft, including designs from Vickers and De Havilland. Its proven track record across conventional and rotorcraft designs makes it one of the more field-validated profiles in the UIUC database.
Designers evaluating the RAF15 typically compare it against profiles of similar thickness: NACA 65-209, NLR-1T AIRFOIL, AG54, NACA 64-209, SIKORSKY SSC-A09 AIRFOIL. The EPPLER 403 AIRFOIL is another reference profile frequently considered alongside it.
Aircraft Using the RAF15 Airfoil
Armstrong Whitworth Ape | Armstrong | RAF-15 | Constant |
Armstrong Whitworth AW.17 Ajax | Armstrong | RAF-15 | Constant |
Armstrong Whitworth AW.17 Aries | Armstrong | RAF-15 | Constant |
Armstrong Whitworth AW.17 Atlas | Armstrong | RAF-15 | Constant |
Avro 579 | Avro | RAF-15 | Constant |
Avro 600 | Avro | RAF-15 | Constant |
Boulton Paul P.6 | Boulton | RAF-15 | Constant |
Boulton Paul P.7 Bourges | Boulton | RAF-15 | Constant |
Boulton Paul P.7b Bourges | Boulton | RAF-15 | Constant |
Bristol 96 Fighter F2B | Bristol | RAF-15 | Constant |
Bristol 96 Tourer | Bristol | RAF-15 | Constant |
Canadian Vickers Vedette | Canadian | RAF-15 | Constant |
Crawford Monoplane | Crawford | RAF-15 | Constant |
de Havilland DH-52 | De Havilland | RAF-15 mod | Constant |
de Havilland DH-53 Humming Bird | De Havilland | RAF-15 mod | Constant |
de Havilland DH-56 Hyena | De Havilland | RAF-15 | Constant |
de Havilland DH-60 Cirrus Moth | De Havilland | RAF-15 | Constant |
de Havilland DH-60 Moth | De Havilland | RAF-15 | Constant |
de Havilland DH-60G Gipsy Moth | De Havilland | RAF-15 | Constant |
de Havilland DH-60GIII Moth Major | De Havilland | RAF-15 | Constant |
Wing lofting: 2 of these aircraft taper from RAF15 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 RAF15 frequently compare it against profiles with comparable geometric constraints. Below are the closest matches based on maximum thickness (5.6%) and max camber (2.8%).