Output tracking control of an aircraft subject to additive state dependent disturbance: an optimal control approach

In this paper, model reference output feedback tracking control of an aircraft subject to additive, uncertain, nonlinear disturbances is considered. In order to present the design steps in a clearfashion:first,theaircraftdynamicsistemporarilyassumedasknownwithallthestatesofthe systemavailable.Thenafeedbacklinearizingcontrollerminimizingaperformanceindexwhile onlyrequiringtheoutputmeasurementsofthesystemisproposed.Astheaircraftdynamics isuncertainandonlytheoutputisavailable,theproposedcontrollermakesuseofanovel uncertaintyestimator.Thestabilityoftheclosedloopsystemandglobalasymptotictrackingof theproposedmethodareensuredviaLyapunovbasedarguments,asymptoticconvergenceof thecontrollertoanoptimalcontrollerisalsoestablished.Numericalsimulationsarepresented inordertodemonstratethefeasibilityandperformanceoftheproposedcontrolstrategy.