Advanced Flight Controls for Small Airframes

This research effort proposes to develop a control system concept for a small, high speed airframe. This non-aerodynamic control system will consist of power control elements, such as, reaction jets, energy sources, throttlable hot gas generator, and the control and processing algorithms. This control system definition will be developed by using a modified GFE airframe flight simulation and physically achievable control element parameters. This simulation will be modified so that different non-aerodynamic controls and their parameters can be provided as independent varialbes. The flight scenario, seeker parameters, inertial sensor parameters, and guidance equations will also be provided to this simulation as constraints and dependent variables. The simulation will first be exercised to determine which control concepts are feasible. These concepts will then be based on the physics and existing hardware. Then, specific design parameters will be developed and be provided to the flight simulation as independent variables. The flight simulation will then be operated in a Monte Carlo mode to establish specific requirements, linearity, performance parameters, and allocations of error (error budget). From these data one or two conceptual designs can be modeled in greater detail.