Adaptive backstepping-based flight control system using integral filters

A backstepping control design procedure for uncertain nonlinear flight control system expressible in parameter-strict feedback form is presented in this paper. The proposed backstepping procedure, in association with sliding model control technique, exploits the possibility of avoiding, under certain suitable assumptions, the overparameterization problem existing in the classical backstepping process. In particular, a sliding-model-based integral filter is introduced to facilitate the development of the derivation of the virtual inputs, thus reducing the computational load with regard to the standard backstepping procedure. Moreover, in simulations, the control parameters in the resulted controller are optimally tuned using a genetic algorithm so as to show the full potential of the proposed control system. (C) 2008 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.