Integrated Flight and Propulsion Control for Fixed-Wing UAVs via Thrust and Disturbance Compensation

A research team led by Chong-Yi Sun has published a significant paper on arXiv titled 'Integrated Flight and Propulsion Control for Fixed-Wing UAVs via Thrust and Disturbance Compensation.' The work addresses the critical challenge of precise position-tracking for unmanned aerial vehicles equipped with turbojet engines, proposing a novel hierarchical control framework that simultaneously manages flight dynamics and propulsion systems. This integrated approach represents an advancement over traditional decoupled control methods, particularly for high-performance UAV applications where engine dynamics significantly impact overall flight stability and accuracy.

The technical core of their solution involves three key innovations: a perturbed UAV model incorporating turbojet engine dynamics, a versatile extended observer designed to handle both unmeasurable thrust variations and external disturbances, and a hierarchical control structure using three observer-based controllers. The team mathematically proves that their system achieves asymptotic convergence to desired trajectories, meaning errors approach zero over time. Comparative simulations validate the approach's effectiveness, showing improved performance over conventional methods. This research has immediate implications for military, surveillance, and high-speed delivery drones operating in turbulent or unpredictable environments where traditional control systems struggle.