Finite-time path following control for small-scale fixed-wing UAVs under wind disturbances

By integrating the finite time control technique and finite-time disturbance observers together, the finite-time three-dimensional path following control problem for small-scale fixed-wing UAVs subject to external wind disturbances is investigated in this paper. The external wind disturbances are estimated through finite-time disturbance observers and the estimates are then incorporated into the finite-time feedback controller such that a composite control scheme is proposed. Under the proposed control scheme, the closed-loop system possesses not only faster convergence rate but also stronger disturbance rejection ability and better robustness, which is the main contribution of the paper. The effectiveness and superiorities of the proposed composite control scheme are demonstrated by numerical simulations.