Development of a flight test system for unmanned air vehicles

1999 February issue of IEEE Control Systems Magazine. pp 55-65.The past two decades have witnessed a dramatic increase in -8the use of Unmanned Air Vehicles (UAVs) by the armed forces, both in the US and abroad. More recently, many re- searchers in the academic community have realized the useful- ness of UAVs both as teaching and research tools. To develop UAVs and their flight control systems, a number of engineering problemsmustbeaddressedcoveringawiderangeofissuesthat include weight and energy restrictions, portability,risk factors, electronic interferences, vibrations and manpower. Further- more, the testing of new algorithms, sensor packages, and vehi- cles is a truly multidisciplinary effort that borrows from many branches of the engineering sciences that include aeronautic, electrical, and computer engineering. The process is costly and time consuming, and has the potential for catastrophic failure