Application of vector performance optimization to a robust control loop design for a fighter aircraft

Abstract

For a McDonnell-Douglas F-4C aircraft a robust, fixed gain controller is designed, which provides satisfying handling qualities of the longitudinal motion or the aircraft over the complete flight range without gain scheduling. Robustness is achieved in the sense of covering largo paramoter variations and providing good gain and phase margins, Only low control rates and low feedback gains are involved, The results are obtained by application of a performance vector optimization design method which accounts for a great many different design objectives simultaneously in a highly systematic fashion. Two different designs are presented placing emphasis on pitch rate control (pointing) and normal acceleration control (manoeuvring) respectively.