Pilot multi-axis control behavior modeling of receivers in probe-and-drogue aerial refueling

The probe-and-drogue aerial refueling (PDR) task is seriously disturbed by the wind field, so it is difficult to obtain accurate visual information of the probe and drogue position. Additionally, the pilot needs to control the vertical, lateral and forward-backward positions of the receiver through the stick and throttle lever, and the pitch and roll manipulation actions of the stick should be reasonably distributed. To simulate the behavior of the pilot’s visual perception and the stick manipulation allocation in the PDR task, three modules are designed, including the visual information acquisition module (VIAM), strategy switching module (SSM) and pilot control and action module (CAM). Based on the coherence function analysis of the flight simulation test data, it is proven that the pilot’s multi-axis control behavior can be decoupled, and the flight states to be controlled are determined. Finally, the established multi-axis receiver pilot model (EPM) is developed. Combined with the motion models of the receiver, the tanker and the refueling equipment, a PDR flight task simulation model is established, and the evaluation indicators for the receiver’s flight performance during the PDR task, such as capture time and settling time, are proposed. The PDR flight simulation model was used to build the ground-based flight simulation test platform, and the flight simulation test of the PDR task was carried out. A comparison between the flight simulation test data and the numerical simulation results shows that the calculation error is less than 10%, which verifies the correctness of the established pilot model. The pilot model can be used to evaluate the design scheme of the refueling equipment and the receiver flight control law and provide a theoretical reference for the flight test design of the PDR task.