ROBUSTNESS OF A NONLINEAR MISSILE AUTOPILOT DESIGNED USING DYNAMIC INVERSION

An inner-loop/ou ter-lqop dynamic inversion control architecture with output redefinition in the inner-loop is employed to synthesize a full-envelope nonlinear autopilot for an air-to-air missile. The autopilot tracks pitch and yaw acceleration commands while regulating body roll rate to zero. Essential design parameters are scheduled with flight condition for optimal performance. The autopilot has been subjected to a variety of robustness tests. Linear robustness analysis was based on linearized models computed locally throughout the flight envelope and included determination of classical gain and phase margins as well as vector margins associated with simultaneous gain and phase variations. Nonlinear robustness analysis was based on single-run and Monte Carlo simulations and included determination of maximum allowable gain variations and input delays as well as sensitivity to variations in aerodynamic parameters.