A vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) unmanned aircraft vehicle trajectory control model with air-launched missiles

Purpose In today’s technology, the significance of unmanned aerial vehicles is steadily increasing. Many unmanned aerial vehicles design, especially those used for military purposes, have achieved autonomy from human operators. Undoubtedly, one of the most crucial features of these aircraft is their vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) capability. Inspired by quadrotor methodology, this paper aims to conduct, a modeling of an aircraft with VTOL capabilities. Design/methodology/approach The impact of releasing air-launched missiles, considered as the useful payload carried during the flight of the aircraft, has been taken into account in this modeling. The release of air-launched missiles disrupts both the symmetric structure of the system and alters the mass and inertia parameters. Simulations were conducted to investigate scenarios involving the simultaneous release of all air-launched missiles and their release at different times. Findings The investigation focused on determining how quickly an aircraft, aiming to consecutively hit targets, can return to its desired trajectory. The time interval between the consecutive releases of two air-launched missiles has been identified. Originality/value It is crucial for a VTOL-capable aircraft to possess a unique modeling structure to examine its capability of releasing air-launched missiles in various scenarios. This entails understanding not only the aircraft’s VTOL functionality but also its ability to effectively release missiles in different operational conditions.