Rapid response missile pitch to trim flight control using sliding modes

This paper is concerned with the problem of designing a pitch autopilot for the EMRRAT missile system which achieves a high angle of attack trim condition in approximately minimum time. Tradeoffs between robust performance and minimum time requirements are discussed, as well as possible scheduling of the aerodynamic coefficients. A variable structure control algorithm is used because of its inherent robustness qualities. The resultant chattering is reduced through the use of an averaging filter, which also has beneficial effects on system performance