Nonlinear 3-D trajectory guidance for unmanned aerial vehicles

In this paper, we propose a backstepping based nonlinear guidance controller, designed for 3-D path tracking for a UAV. The guidance law design assumes first order dynamics for the speed, heading and elevation angles. We demonstrate closed loop stability via Lyapunov analysis. The efficacy of the controller is demonstrated for two cases, namely the straight path following and a curved path following.

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