Nonlinear predictive control for terrain following

A nonlinear continuous predictive control method was used for design of cruise missile terrain-following controller. A performance index which combined the tracking error and rate of tracking error is presented. Then an optimal nonlinear feedback control law is generated to minimize the performance index. The tracking performance and robustness of controller are discussed. The advantage of the control law is demonstrated by successfully designing cruise missile terrain following controllers. The results show that the controller exhibits robustness and excellent tracking performance.