Airfoil Data
RAF28

The RAF 28 AIRFOIL is a thin 6.7% chord-thickness airfoil with a maximum camber of 3.4% 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 -3.4°.

Thin airfoil theory predicts a stall angle near 11.9° and a peak lift-to-drag ratio around 54 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 RAF28 appears in the wing design of at least 57 documented aircraft, including designs from Bristol and Armstrong. Its proven track record across canard designs makes it one of the more field-validated profiles in the UIUC database.

Designers evaluating the RAF28 typically compare it against profiles of similar thickness: GOE 564 AIRFOIL, BOEING-VERTOL VR-13 AIRFOIL, B-29 TIP AIRFOIL, S2046, LOCKHEED C-5A BL1256 AIRFOIL. The NACA 64A210 is another reference profile frequently considered alongside it.