Autonomous shipboard launching of unmanned air vehicles (UAVs) in extreme conditions

This research involves a solution to the control problem for autonomous launching of unmanned air vehicles from maritime platforms in extreme conditions. A controller is developed utilising both linear robust modern control theory (/spl Hscr//sub /spl infin// methods) and a new approach involving trajectory optimisation and system identification. The resulting controller is found to allow the aircraft to fly to its physical limits. This controller has been found to have very good robustness properties through extensive simulation.