A Real-Time, Hardware-in-the-Loop Simulator for Evaluation of a Distributed, Autonomous F-18 Formation Flight Control System

David Chichka, Thiem Chiu, Gene Belanger, Walton Williamson, Dale Cooper and Jason Speyer

Abstract:	Hardware-in-the-loop simulation is a valuable technique for the evaluation of a flight control system. This paper describes the efforts underway at the University of California, Los Angeles, to create and implement such a simulation to be used in testing flight control computers for formation flight of F-18 aircraft. The HiL simulation provides a known truth model, allowing the evaluation of the flight control computer estimation and control system performance. Further, the simulation allows faster development by removing the need for a long and costly flight test program. In this case, the simulation is complicated due to the existence of mutiple aircraft, flying in proximity such that the dynamics of one aircraft has significant effect on the motion of the other. The flight computers receive data from the GPS receivers and inertial instruments. The simulation facility provides all of the inputs for two aircraft, allowing a pair of flight computers to be tested as though in actual flight. No modification of the computers or flight software is required for simulation.
Published in:	Proceedings of the 2000 National Technical Meeting of The Institute of Navigation January 26 - 28, 2000 Pacific Hotel Disneyland Anaheim, CA
Pages:	629 - 635
Cite this article:	Chichka, David, Chiu, Thiem, Belanger, Gene, Williamson, Walton, Cooper, Dale, Speyer, Jason, "A Real-Time, Hardware-in-the-Loop Simulator for Evaluation of a Distributed, Autonomous F-18 Formation Flight Control System," Proceedings of the 2000 National Technical Meeting of The Institute of Navigation, Anaheim, CA, January 2000, pp. 629-635.
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