Sliding Mode Observer and Control Design with Adaptive Parameter Estimation for a Supersonic Flight Vehicle

Design and synthesis of a nonlinear generic supersonic flight vehicle longitudinal dynamics control for angle-of-attack, AOA, output tracking in the atmospheric flight is presented based on sliding mode control. A sliding mode observer is invoked to estimate AOA which is difficult to measure in practice. Large parameter uncertainties accommodation envisaged by designing adaptive mechanisms for both the control and observer and high chattering authority due to large deviations of aerodynamic coefficients arising from wind-tunnel measurements are inhibited. The employed method enables the sliding mode control design to exhibit the desired dynamic properties during the entire output-tracking process. Simulations results are presented to demonstrate the performance, robustness, and stability