Incremental control of direct lift landing based on predefined-time theory

To address the disturbance of carrier wake and deck motion to carrier-based aircraft, this paper combines direct lift technology and incremental nonlinear control based on the predefined-time theory to improve the landing accuracy of carrier-based aircraft. Firstly, the full-state nonlinear dynamic equations of the aircraft are established, and the mechanisms and advantages of the direct lift control technology are analyzed. Secondly, an incremental control method based on the predefined-time theory is proposed, and an automatic landing controller for the carrier-based aircraft, consisting of the attitude stabilization loop, altitude control loop, and approach power compensation system, is designed based on this method. The designed automatic landing controller ensures that the tracking error of the carrier-based aircraft state converges to an adjustable bounded range within a predefined time, even under the influence of disturbances, thus enhancing its ability to rapidly track landing trajectory commands and deck movements. Moreover, this controller utilizes its robustness to reduce the impact of the carrier wake on the carrier-based aircraft. Subsequently, the predefined-time stability of the automatic landing closed-loop control system is rigorously proven under the Lyapunov stability theory. Finally, a series of real-time simulations verifies the effectiveness and superiority of the designed automatic landing controller.