Precise automated landing of a fixed-wing aircraft onto a moving platform

Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa

Abstract

This paper presents flight and guidance control systems that can accurately land a fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicle onto a small moving platform. The flight control system uses a hybrid architecture that combines classical control with model predictive control. The guidance control system uses a guidance algorithm, waypoint scheduler and state machine to allow the aircraft to complete circuits around the airfield. A prediction algorithm calculates the touchdown point between the aircraft and the moving platform. The state machine provides references to the flight control system to allow the aircraft to reach this touchdown point. The control system is implemented in PX4 autopilot software and verified using simulation. A fixed-wing aircraft is constructed using a model airframe with a Pixhawk 4 autopilot hardware and other additional hardware components. In simulation, the control system lands the aircraft on a moving platform with an accuracy of 22 cm, while for the practical moving platform landing, the control system lands the aircraft with an accuracy of 75 cm. Preparations are being done to perform the final practical moving platform landing tests.