Fixed-wing aircraft

A vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft, comprising a centre section defining a centreline of the aircraft, and a pair of wings, arranged on either side of the centre section, wherein the wings extend longitudinally from the centre section away from and mutually symmetrical with respect to a plane of symmetry extending through the centreline, wherein each wing comprises:

• a main wing section, extending longitudinally from the centre section, wherein the main wing section is configured for generating lift in an upward direction;
• a wingtip section, extending longitudinally from the main wing section in a downwards sloping direction with respect to the main wing section;
• and a control surface, provided in the wingtip section, wherein the aircraft is a fixed-wing aircraft of a flying-wing, wherein the centre section is thicker than the wings and houses a payload compartment, wherein each main wing section is mounted to the centre section at an angle of incidence in a range from 2 to 10 degrees such that the centre section is pitched downwards in-flight to reduce an angle of attack of the centre section such that an airflow over the centre section remains attached, preventing a loss of performance and pitch stability as a result of the centre section thicker than the wings, wherein each wingtip section slopes downward from the respective main wing section at an anhedral angle of more than 0 degrees and up to 45 degrees, wherein each wingtip section is provided with a wash-out twist relative to the respective main wing section, and wherein the wash-out twist has a twist angle in a range from 2 to 15 degrees.