Integrated automatic control of the ARCHER compound helicopter

Purpose This paper aims to investigate the enhanced manoeuvrability of helicopters through the integration of an additional pusher propeller controlled by an advanced automatic flight control system. Design/methodology/approach A numerical model of a compound helicopter configuration, based on the autonomous reconfigurable compound helicopter for education and research (ARCHER) platform, is developed within the FLIGHTLAB simulation environment. The automatic flight control system uses a linear quadratic regulator controller for the conventional helicopter dynamics and a fuzzy logic controller for the pusher propeller pitch angle and angular velocity. The slalom manoeuvre, scaled according to the Froude number, is used to assess the manoeuvrability of the modified helicopter. Findings Comparative simulations between the conventional and compound helicopter configurations reveal improvements in stability in maintaining forward speed and enhanced trajectory tracking during low-speed slalom manoeuvres by the compound configuration. Originality/value This research contributes to the field of helicopter flight control by demonstrating the potential benefits of a compound configuration and advanced control techniques. The proposed approach offers a promising avenue for enhancing the performance and safety of future helicopter designs.