Sliding Mode Control in Aerospace Applications: A Survey

ABSTRACT Sliding mode control (SMC) enjoys robustness to matched and unmatched (in the case of minimum phase input‐output dynamics) bounded perturbations, and finite time convergence. Second‐order and higher‐order sliding mode control systems (2‐SMC/HOSMC) retain all the advantages of sliding mode control, but in addition can be applied to systems of high relative degree while providing control continuity and higher accuracy, output tracking error stabilization. Adaptive and finite‐ convergence‐time SMC/2‐SMC/HOSMC provides more advanced features compared to basic sliding mode control techniques. In this paper, sliding mode control laws are considered for the airspace applications—including control of damaged aircraft, satellite, and formation satellite control, reusable launch vehicle control, and the guidance and control of hypersonic vehicles and missiles. These applications have been reviewed, and the advantages of sliding mode control techniques, including high accuracy, finite time convergence, and insensitivity to bounded perturbations and parametric uncertainties are confirmed via numerous simulations and implementations.