Integrated missile flight control using quaternions and third-order sliding mode control

An integrated autopilot-and-guidance algorithm that is robust to missile´s model parametric and dynamic uncertainties is developed, using Higher Order Sliding Mode (HOSM) quasi-continuous control, for an endoatmospheric missile. Unlike in traditional guidance and control solutions that use a nested-loop design, a single loop integrated design of guidance/autopilot is proposed. 6-Degree of Freedom simulations of a simplified missile model with and without realistic actuator models, delays and parametric uncertainties confirms the efficacy of the proposed robust integrated HOSM guidance/control design.