A Nonlinear Automatic Control Strategy for Autopiloting a Fourth-Generation Combat Aircraft: The Soukhoï Su-30

This paper proposes a new nonlinear control and guidance strategy for fourth-generation fighter aircraft, demonstrated on the Soukhoï Su-30. The method integrates symmetric and asymmetric control structures with a sliding-mode-enhanced pure-pursuit guidance law within a unified nonlinear dynamic inversion (NDI) framework. This represents the first implementation of such an integrated design on the Su-30 platform. An adaptive radial-basis-function neural network compensates for modeling uncertainties, while aerodynamic parameters are identified using the total least squares estimation method. The approach is validated through Software-in-the-Loop simulations in the SP-ACS environment linked to Microsoft Flight Simulator 2004. Results confirm precise target tracking, smooth maneuvering, and strong robustness to un-modeled dynamics, demonstrating its suitability for advanced combat operations.