Autoland for a novel UAV as a state-machine-based extension to a modular automatic flight guidance and control system

The ability to conduct an automatic landing maneuver is a key requirement for many unmanned aerial vehicles. By the example of the novel SAGITTA Demonstrator UAV, an autoland algorithm is presented as a modular extension to an automatic flight guidance and control system. At the Institute of Flight System Dynamics of the Technical University of Munich, a procedural definition of the automatic landing has been elaborated and implemented as a finite state machine. Based on this, existing guidance and control modules of the auto flight system are utilized to perform the landing maneuver. Particular attention has been paid to the design of transition conditions of the state machine, as these guide the temporal sequence of the maneuver and must reflect the high uncertainties that prevail concerning the performance of a novel aircraft configuration and its systems. Simulation testing and verification results in combination with ground testing of SAGITTA present a proof of concept of the design and give an outlook to its application during SAGITTA's maiden flight.