Integrated Resilient Aircraft Control

Abstract: Stability, maneuverability, and safe landing in the presence of adverse conditions need an integrated approach for addressing various flight control aspects of resilient aircraft control. Adverse events include loss of control caused by environmental factors, actuator and sensor faults or failures, and expand toward more complicated damage conditions. In this article, the application focus of the technologies presented is for current and next generation subsonic civil transports. However, a majority of the challenges addressed by these technologies are general in nature, and therefore, the solutions will apply to a large class of aviation vehicles. The article first defines the flight control architecture that integrates various aspects of flight and propulsion control and a discussion on the technical challenges associated with resilient aircraft control are presented. The flight control technologies specifically addressed for resiliency include inner-loop adaptive control, integrated flight and propulsion control, and outer-loop intelligent guidance and planning.