Practical Design of Flight Control Systems for Launch Vehicles and Missiles (2/e) Paperback - 2025

This book presents a clear, concise, and practical approach to the Design of Flight Control Systems for Launch Vehicles and Missiles. It encompasses a wide range of critical topics that a control system designer must understand. Beginning with mission-specific considerations, the book outlines the control requirements across different phases of flight trajectories and explains the use of various types of control effectors.

A distinctive feature of this book is its introduction of generalized equations of motion, including an innovative method for incorporating structural flexibility and propellant sloshing. This method simplifies the process by avoiding rederivation, offering a straightforward, intuitive way to model slosh dynamics and gimballed engine behavior.

The book further explores control system configurations, power plant sizing, linearized loop design, and the analysis and design of on-off reaction control systems. It includes practical insights into software features essential for real-time implementation, strategies to ensure robustness against system malfunctions, and validation techniques such as comprehensive end-to-end sign checks.

Additionally, the book discusses real-world flight experiences that led to design modifications, offering valuable lessons from practice. With its strong emphasis on real-world applications, this book is an indispensable guide for practicing engineers working in aerospace control systems and a valuable reference for postgraduate students specializing in Aerospace Engineering.