Direct lift landing control method based on flight path angle command

In the context of carrier-based joint operations, carrier aircraft landing is a critical and challenging task. This paper proposes a Backstepping-based Direct Lift Controller (BSDLC) that enables the pilot to command the flight-path angle directly during the glideslope phase, thereby reducing the operational complexity of carrier landings and improving touchdown accuracy. The proposed control architecture uses the flight-path angle as a primary guidance command and implements three independent channels-for flaps, horizontal tail, and throttle-to decouple landing maneuvers and thus reduce pilot workload. An adaptive law is incorporated to iteratively estimate uncertain model parameters, thereby diminishing the controller’s dependence on precise parameter values. Furthermore, a direct lift dynamic decoupling module based on balanced pitch rate feedback is introduced to coordinate flap and horizontal tail deflections, improving the decoupling between flight-path and attitude angles. To further bolster disturbance rejection, an Adaptive Super-Twisting Extended State Observer (ASTESO) is employed to estimate and compensate for external disturbances. A series of simulation tests on a carrier-based aircraft approach landing model demonstrate that the BSDLC can rapidly adjust the flight-path angle, suppress wake-vortex disturbances, and achieve high precision landings while exhibiting strong robustness.