Design and flight test of a robust autopilot for the IRIS-T air-to-air missile

The Infra-Red Imaging System-Tail/thrust-vector controlled (IRIS-T) missile is a next-generation short-range air-to-air missile currently developed by Germany, Greece, Italy, Norway, and Sweden. IRIS-T is characterized by an extreme maneuverability for close-in air-to-air combat. The corresponding highly nonlinear and rapidly time-varying dynamics constitute a significant challenge for the autopilot design. Robust control techniques are employed to design lateral and roll controllers taking into account uncertainties in aerodynamic coefficients and actuator bandwidth. The controllers are scheduled as a function of dynamic pressure using a conditioning/blending technique to achieve full flight envelope control capability. The performance and robustness characteristics of the autopilot are assessed in a nonlinear 6 degree-of-freedom simulation and in ground-launched flight tests of the operational missile. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]