Aerobatic Maneuvering Flight Control of Fixed-Wing UAVs: An SE(3) Approach Using Dual Quaternion

Automatic maneuvering flights have gained significant attention in unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) research, particularly for fixed wings. This article proposes a novel modeling approach using dual quaternions for maneuvering flight control, allowing for a more concise description of the translational and rotational motion. Building upon this foundation, a virtual frame method is introduced, where control inputs are directly mapped to the translational dynamics, effectively addressing the underactuation property of fixed-wing aircraft. Furthermore, a unified physics-based maneuvering tracking controller is developed. The controller consists of an outer loop that generates the desired twist and an inner loop driven by the error between twist measurements and commands, enabling the UAV to track the reference pose trajectory. To evaluate the proposed approach, numerical and hardware-in-the-loop simulations are conducted for a range of maneuvers, followed by an outdoor flight experiment. The simulation and experimental results affirm the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed approach.