Thermal-Adaptive UAV Skins for High-Altitude Indian Missions

Thermal-Adaptive UAV Skins for High-Altitude Indian Missions | Authorea try { document.documentElement.classList.add('js'); } catch (e) { } var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'G-8VDV14Y67G']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); Skip to main content Preprints Collections Wiley Open Research IET Open Research Ecological Society of Japan All Collections About About Authorea FAQs Contact Us Quick Search anywhere Search for preprint articles, keywords, etc. Search Search ADVANCED SEARCH SCROLL This is a preprint and has not been peer reviewed. Data may be preliminary. 9 January 2026 V1 Latest version Share on Thermal-Adaptive UAV Skins for High-Altitude Indian Missions Author : Mokshith Sharma T P 0009-0001-0499-6357 [email protected] Authors Info & Affiliations https://doi.org/10.22541/au.176800048.81294104/v1 158 views 94 downloads Contents Abstract Supplementary Material Information & Authors Metrics & Citations View Options References Figures Tables Media Share Abstract Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) operating in high-altitude Indian regions such as Ladakh, the Himalayas, and Siachen encounter extreme thermal stresses that significantly degrade endurance, reliability, and mission effectiveness. Ambient temperatures ranging from −40 °C to −10 °C, intense solar radiation, rapid thermal cycling, and low air density create conditions where conventional insulation strategies and electrically powered heaters become inefficient, power-intensive, and failureprone. This paper proposes a novel concept of thermal-adaptive UAV skins, treating the external skin not as a passive protective layer but as an intelligent, multifunctional thermal regulation system. By integrating phase-change materials within composite skins, thermochromic and electrochromic coatings, carbon-based nanomaterials, shape-memory polymers, passive radiative cooling layers, and low-power resistive heating meshes, the proposed architecture enables passive and semi-active surface temperature control tailored to high-altitude Indian missions. The concept emphasizes material-level intelligence, fail-safe operation under power constraints, and manufacturability within the Indian defense and startup ecosystem. The paper qualitatively analyzes thermal regulation mechanisms, integration challenges, mission-level benefits, and scalability, positioning thermal-adaptive skins as a strategically relevant and patent-worthy advancement for next-generation Indian UAV platforms. Supplementary Material File (11 thermal-adaptive uav skins for high-altitude indian missions.pdf) Download 152.97 KB Information & Authors Information Version history V1 Version 1 09 January 2026 Copyright This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License Keywords bengaluru high-altitude missions independent researcher uav skins india mokshith sharma t. p. aeronautical engineering student nmit smart materials thermal adaptation Authors Affiliations Mokshith Sharma T P 0009-0001-0499-6357 [email protected] View all articles by this author Metrics & Citations Metrics Article Usage 158 views 94 downloads .FvxKWukQNSOunydq8rnd { width: 100px; } Citations Download citation Mokshith Sharma T P. Thermal-Adaptive UAV Skins for High-Altitude Indian Missions. Authorea . 09 January 2026. DOI: https://doi.org/10.22541/au.176800048.81294104/v1 If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download. For more information or tips please see 'Downloading to a citation manager' in the Help menu . Format Please select one from the list RIS (ProCite, Reference Manager) EndNote BibTex Medlars RefWorks Direct import Tips for downloading citations document.getElementById('citMgrHelpLink').addEventListener('click', function() { popupHelp(this.href); return false; }); $(".js__slcInclude").on("change", function(e){ if ($(this).val() == 'refworks') $('#direct').prop("checked", false); $('#direct').prop("disabled", ($(this).val() == 'refworks')); }); View Options View options PDF View PDF Figures Tables Media Share Share Share article link Copy Link Copied! Copying failed. 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