An Overview of Flight Test Results for a Formation Flight Autopilot

Hanson, Curtis E. and Ryan, Jack and Allen, Michael J. and Jacobson, Steven R. (2002) An Overview of Flight Test Results for a Formation Flight Autopilot. Technical Report NASA/TM-2002-210729, Research Engineeering, NASA Dryden Flight Research Center.

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Abstract

The first flight test phase of the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center Autonomous Formation Flight project has successfully demonstrated precision autonomous station-keeping of an F/A-18 research airplane with a second F/A-18 airplane. Blended inertial navigation system (INS) and global positioning system (GPS) measurements have been communicated across an air-to-air telemetry link and used to compute relative-position estimates. A precision research formation autopilot onboard the trailing airplane controls lateral and vertical spacing while the leading airplane operates under production autopilot control. Four research autopilot gain sets have been designed and flight-tested, and each exceeds the project design requirement of steady-state tracking accuracy within 1 standard deviation of 10 ft. Performance also has been demonstrated using single- and multiple-axis inputs such as step commands and frequency sweeps. This report briefly describes the experimental formation flight systems employed and discusses the navigation, guidance, and control algorithms that have been flight-tested. An overview of the flight test results of the formation autopilot during steady-state tracking and maneuvering flight is presented.

EPrint Type:	NASA Technical Memorandum
Keywords:	Formation autopilot, Formation flight, Station keeping
Subjects:	(01 - 09) Aeronautics: (08) Aircraft Stability And Control Aircraft/Project: F-18 AFF
ID Code:	42
Deposited On:	20 May 2004
Additional Information:	19 pages. Also presented at the AIAA Guidance, Navigation and Control, AIAA Atmospheric Flight Mechanics, AIAA Modeling and Simulation Technologies, and AIAA/AAS Astrodynamics Conferences, Monterey, California, AIAA-2002-4755.