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An aircraft arrangement for Mini or Micro UAV comprising a fore wing (14) and an aft wing (12) in tandem closed-coupled arrangement. The aft wing (12) has side panels (18) and control surfaces (19), and tapered planform with positive sweep, while the fore wing (14) has non-positive trailing edge swe

An aircraft arrangement for Mini or Micro UAV comprising a fore wing (14) and an aft wing (12) in tandem closed-coupled arrangement. The aft wing (12) has side panels (18) and control surfaces (19), and tapered planform with positive sweep, while the fore wing (14) has non-positive trailing edge sweep. The fore wing (14) and the aft wing (12) are disposed at different height, and the aircraft arrangement has no other wings or tail arrangements.

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1. A self-propelled Micro UAV configured for aerodynamic flight at flight speeds in the range between 10 m/s to 20 m/s at Reynolds numbers in the range between about 20,000 and about 300,000, and comprising a fore wing and an aft wing in tandem close-coupled arrangement, wherein a trailing edge of s

1. A self-propelled Micro UAV configured for aerodynamic flight at flight speeds in the range between 10 m/s to 20 m/s at Reynolds numbers in the range between about 20,000 and about 300,000, and comprising a fore wing and an aft wing in tandem close-coupled arrangement, wherein a trailing edge of said fore wing is spaced from a leading edge of said aft wing by a positive gap,wherein an average value for said gap is less than a root chord of said fore wing,wherein said aft wing has side panels and control surfaces on at least one of said aft wing and said side panels, and a tapered planform with positive sweep, said fore wing has non-positive trailing edge sweep, the fore wing and aft wing being disposed at different heights, and said arrangement being free of additional wings or tail arrangement, said Reynolds numbers being based on a characteristic chord length of one of said fore wing and said aft wing. 2. The UAV of claim 1, wherein said fore wing has straight trailing edges with negative sweep angle. 3. The UAV of claim 2, wherein said fore wing has negative sweep. 4. The UAV of claim 1, further comprising a fuselage. 5. The UAV of claim 4, wherein said fore wing is unconnected from said aft wing independently of said fuselage. 6. The UAV of claim 4, wherein said fore wing is mounted on the upper side of said fuselage on at least one pylon. 7. The UAV of claim 6, wherein said fore wing is disposed higher than said aft wing at least by the length of an average aft wing chord. 8. The UAV of claim 1, wherein said fore wing and said aft wing partially overlap each other in plan view. 9. The UAV of claim 1, wherein the fore wing, the aft wing and other elements of said UAV are disposed so as to provide longitudinal aerodynamic stability. 10. The UAV of claim 9, wherein said arrangement has positive pitching moment at zero lift. 11. The UAV of claim 1, wherein at least one of said aft wing and said fore wing has rounded tips. 12. The UAV of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the trailing edge of said aft wing has negative or positive sweep angle. 13. The UAV of claim 1, wherein said aft wing has aspect ratio between 2.5 and 4. 14. The UAV of claim 1, wherein said fore wing has aspect ratio between 3 and 5. 15. The UAV of claim 1, wherein planform areas of the aft wing and the fore wing are in ratio between 2:1 and 1:1. 16. The UAV of claim 1, wherein said control surfaces comprise rudder control surfaces on said side panels. 17. The UAV of claim 1, wherein said fore wing has side panels. 18. The UAV of claim 17, wherein said fore wing has rudder control surfaces on its side panels. 19. The UAV of claim 1, wherein said fore wing has control surfaces. 20. The UAV of claim 1, wherein said self-propelled UAV has a tractor propeller mounted in front of said tandem arrangement. 21. The UAV of claim 1, wherein at least one of said fore wing and said aft wing has non-zero dihedral angle. 22. The UAV of claim 21, wherein the dihedral angles of the fore wing and of the aft wing are such that the vertical distance between wing tips of said fore wing and said aft wing is greater than the vertical distance between their respective wing roots. 23. The UAV of claim 1, wherein said aft wing has twist. 24. The UAV of claim 1, wherein said fore wing has twist. 25. The UAV of claim 1, wherein said aft wing has positive angle of incidence. 26. The UAV of claim 1, wherein said aft wing has airfoil sections with positive zero lift pitching moment. 27. The UAV of claim 1, wherein the fore wing, the aft wing and other elements of said UAV are disposed so as to provide longitudinal aerodynamic instability. 28. The UAV of claim 27, wherein said self-propelled UAV has a pushing propeller mounted after said tandem arrangement. 29. The UAV of claim 27 having negative pitching moment at zero-lift. 30. The UAV according to claim 1, wherein said UAV is a micro-UAV and has at least one of a maximum longitudinal length and a maximum wingspan not greater than about 15 cm. 31. The UAV according to claim 1, wherein said UAV is a mini-UAV and has at least one of a maximum longitudinal length and a maximum wingspan between about 20 cm and about 1.2 m. 32. The UAV of claim 1, wherein said characteristic chord is an average chord taken between a root and a tip of said main wing. 33. The UAV of claim 1, wherein said main wing is said aft wing. 34. A self-propelled Micro UAV configured for aerodynamic flight at flight speeds in the range between about 10 m/s to about 20 m/s at Reynolds numbers in the range between about 20,000 and about 300,000, and comprising a fore wing and an aft wing in tandem close-coupled arrangement, wherein a trailing edge of said fore wing is spaced from a leading edge of said aft wing by a positive flap,wherein an average value for said flap is less than a root chord of said fore wing,wherein said aft wing has side panels and control surfaces on at least one of said aft wing and said side panels, and a tapered planform with positive sweep, said fore wing has non-positive trailing edge sweep, said fore wing and said aft wing being disposed at different heights, and said arrangement being free of additional wings or tail arrangement,wherein said Reynolds numbers are based on a characteristic chord length of one of said fore wing and said aft wing,wherein said tandem arrangement of said fore wing and said aft wing has an overall width W and an overall length L including any control surfaces of said UAV, and the sum of both fore and aft wing planform areas of said tandem arrangement is at least 70% of the product W×L. 35. A self-propelled Micro UAV configured for aerodynamic flight at flight speeds in the range between 10 m/s to 20 m/s at Reynolds numbers in the range between about 20,000 and about 300,000 and comprising a fore wing and an aft wing in tandem close-coupled arrangement, wherein a trailing edge of said fore wing is spaced from a leading edge of said aft wing by a gap,wherein an average value for said gap is less than a root chord of said fore wing,wherein said aft wing has first side panels and control surfaces on at least one of said aft wing and said side panels, and a tapered planform with positive sweep, said fore wing has non-positive trailing edge sweep, said fore wing and said aft wing being disposed at different heights, and said arrangement being free of additional wings or tail arrangement, wherein said Reynolds numbers are based on a characteristic chord length of one of said fore wing and said aft wing, and wherein a planform area of the aft wing is not less than a planform area of the fore wing. 36. The UAV according to claim 35, wherein planform areas of the aft wing and the fore wing are in ratio between 2:1 and 1:1. 37. The UAV according to claim 35, wherein said tandem arrangement of said fore wing and said aft wing has an overall width W and an overall length L including any control surfaces of said UAV, and the sum of both fore and aft wing planform areas of said tandem arrangement is at least 70% of the product W×L. 38. The UAV according to claim 35, wherein said UAV is a micro-UAV and has at least one of a maximum longitudinal length and a maximum wingspan not greater than about 15 cm. 39. The UAV according to claim 35, wherein said UAV is a mini-UAV and has at least one of a maximum longitudinal length and a maximum wingspan between about 20 cm and about 1.2 m. 40. The UAV of claim 35, wherein said characteristic chord is an average chord taken between a root and a tip of said main wing. 41. The UAV of claim 35, wherein said main wing is said aft wing. 42. The UAV of claim 35, wherein the fore wing comprises second side panels, said first side panels being different from said second side panels.