Hardware in the loop simulation of a three-channel flight control system for an aerial vehicle using an integrated INS/GPS navigation system
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https://doi.org/10.54939/1859-1043.j.mst.FMC.2026.142-151Keywords:
Hardware-in-the-Loop; INS/GPS integrated navigation; Flight control system; Autopilot; Real-time simulation; Six-degree-of-freedom model; Aerial vehicle.Abstract
This paper presents the development of a Hardware-in-the-Loop (HiL) simulation model for a three-channel flight control system of an aerial vehicle equipped with an integrated INS/GPS navigation system. The proposed HiL framework is built upon a previously developed numerical simulation model of the vehicle’s guidance and control system. In this framework, the six-degree-of-freedom (6-DOF) flight dynamics model is implemented in MATLAB/Simulink, while the INS/GPS navigation module, autopilot controller, and actuator subsystems are deployed on real hardware operating in a closed-loop real-time environment. The HiL system is designed to verify the implementation and performance of guidance and control algorithms on embedded hardware prior to field testing. The effectiveness of the proposed model is evaluated through comparisons between numerical simulation and HiL simulation results in terms of navigation parameters, control surface feedback signals, flight trajectories, and impact-point errors. The results demonstrate that the HiL model accurately reproduces the behavior of the guidance and control system under real-time operating conditions, showing a high level of agreement with the numerical simulation. The study confirms the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed HiL framework as a reliable platform for the development, validation, and refinement of INS/GPS-based flight guidance and control systems before practical flight experiments.
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