Output tracking for nonlinear non-minimum phase systems with output delay and application to an F-16 jet fighter

In this article, output tracking for a class of nonlinear non-minimum phase systems with output delay is considered. By applying the first-order Padé approximation technique to deal with the time-delay function, the original control problem is reduced to the output-tracking problem of a new non-minimum phase system without delay. The bounded tracking profiles of the unstable internal dynamics in the new system are generated by using the nonlinear inversion-based method, and a complete sliding mode control scheme is proposed to stabilise the output-tracking error as well as the internal dynamics. Moreover, the proposed control scheme is applied to solve the flight-path angle tracking problem of an F-16 jet fighter.