Recent results in robust adaptive flight control systems

Adaptive control has been increasingly used in flight control of late, with notable technology transitions to autonomous flight platforms such as Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM), X–36 Tailless Fighter Agility Research Aircraft, NASA Generic Transport Model (GTM), and Boeing Phantom Ray. Given the need to make these flight systems autonomous, the spotlight, more than ever, is firmly on adaptive control and in particular, robust adaptive control systems. In this paper, we present a few recent results in robust Adaptive Flight Control Systems (AFCS) that showcase the advantages, properties, and performance of AFCS, whose foundations were laid more than 50 years ago. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.