Aerodynamic model-based robust adaptive control for close formation flight

Abstract

This paper presents an aerodynamic model-based robust adaptive control algorithm for close formation flight. The leader aircraft is assumed to be at level and straight flight which characterizes the most common scenario for close formation flight. The formation aerodynamic effects are assumed to be unknown, but an online formation aerodynamic model is available to predict those effects. In light of the online formation aerodynamic model, a robust adaptive control algorithm is thereafter developed on the follower aircraft to counteract the unknown formation aerodynamic effects and obtain highly accurate formation tracking performance. The proposed control algorithm is composed of a baseline controller and an integrator-augmented robust adaptive controller, which can efficiently deal with both matched and mismatched formation aerodynamic effects and external disturbances. The major advantage of the proposed design is that it can achieve at least ultimate bounded tracking control with certain transient performance guaranty. The efficiency and robustness of the proposed control design are eventually validated via numerical simulations of close formation flight at two different scenarios.