State of the art for the aircraft towing kinematics and dynamics

As a significant aircraft ground support equipment, aircraft towing vehicles, including rod-towing and towbarless towing vehicles (TLTV), are widely used for civil or military aircraft movements on the ground from the parking spot to the destination. The above two towing vehicles are connected to the nose landing gear (NLG) of the aircraft through a tow bar and a pick-up and holding system (PUHS) during the aircraft towing operation, respectively. In this paper, previous researches on aircraft towing systems (ATS) in terms of the kinematics, dynamics, motion control, interaction mechanics with NLG, and green towing technology are reviewed. In addition, some applicable standards in service about aircraft towing are surveyed. Further, the development of the aircraft taxiing technology which changes from the conventional aircraft taxiing mode to the towbarless aircraft taxiing system (TLATS) is prospected. It could help clarify the current priority and difficult issues, and look to the possible future development direction in the aircraft towing field.