Taking robust LPV control into flight on the VAAC Harrier

Describes the application of a multivariable control system design procedure, linear parameter-varying (LPV) H_∞ loop shaping, to design a flight controller for the pitch dynamics of the vectored thrust aircraft advanced flight control (VAAC) Harrier. The particular LPV design procedure used was developed by Papageorgiou and Glover (2000) and is an advancement of the H_∞ design method successfully flight tested in 1993 on the VAAC Harrier in that the control laws are automatically scheduled over the flight envelope. Automatically scheduled control laws are a strong and very likely candidate for the next generation of flight control systems (FCS). The flight test of the LPV controller described here is the first of its kind in the international aerospace community and is recognised as a key milestone in the general development of next generation FCS design methods