Overview of control-centric integrated design for hypersonic vehicles

Abstract

Hypersonic vehicles (HSVs) exhibit significant advantages over other vehicles, including the wide range of velocity and large airspace types, and these features have contributed to the rapid development of HSVs in the last 20 years. Moreover, hypersonic technologies have become a multidisciplinary research topic in the fields of aerodynamics, propulsion, structure, material, and control. Different types of re-entry gliding, air-breathing cruise, and aerospace vehicles have been designed to realize ambitious tasks, which in turn influenced the technological advancements and process change in the military. This paper summarizes the control-oriented integrated design of HSVs. First, the status of current research on the distinct characteristics and technique issues of HSVs is introduced. Then, the progresses made on complex modeling, guidance and control, and trajectory optimization are elaborated to exhibit the significant research interest in hypersonic technologies. The control-integrated design of HSVs is emphasized to solve the multidisciplinary design problems associated with the model and its control and trajectory. Various strategies regarding the multidisciplinary optimization design are also proposed to solve the integrated design problem. Finally, suggestions are provided for the control-oriented integrated design of HSVs.