Robust Flight Control Design Based on a Sensor-based Backstepping Technique for Small Fixed-wing UAV

Small unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) become widely employed across various sectors, such as reconnaissance, surveillance, cargo delivery, and fire extinguishing. The effectiveness of UAV operations relies heavily on their precise and reliable flight control systems. The proposed research provides an in-depth examination of designing and implementing a flight controller for fixed-wing UAVs using the Backstepping (BKS) method. The study explores the theoretical underpinnings of BKS and its application to UAV control, focusing on overcoming the challenges associated with dynamic nonlinearities, and uncertainties inherent in UAV systems. Comprehensive simulations are performed to assess the performance of the proposed controller, showcasing its high accuracy and flexibility. The results highlight BKS's potential as an advanced nonlinear control strategy to enhance the performance and robustness of fixed-wing UAV operations in diverse applications.