Simulation study of thrust vector aircraft attitude control based on optimal feedback control

Abstract

This study investigates the attitude and translational control of a thrust-vector aircraft whose motion is regulated by engine thrust variation and nozzle deflection. The nozzle flow field is first simulated to obtain the relationship between geometric deflection, transverse thrust, and equivalent thrust-vector angle. On this basis, a simplified aircraft dynamic model is established and linearized near the hovering equilibrium. An optimal state-feedback controller based on the Linear Quadratic Regulator is then designed. Three simulation cases, including initial angular deviation, initial horizontal velocity, and initial horizontal position offset, are used to evaluate the disturbance-rejection and short-range maneuvering performance of the aircraft. The results indicate that the proposed controller can restore the aircraft to a stable state within a short response time and can complete limited horizontal displacement under the given simulation conditions.