Adaptive configuration control of multiple UAVs

•Several missions are best accomplished by multiple unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).•We present an adaptive outer-loop controller that uses local and global information.•The approach increases robustness of UAV formations subject to uncertainties.•The outer-loop does not destroy stability or convergence of the inner-loop.•Results are validated using simulation and flight tests.

Several missions including surveillance, exploration, search-and-track, and lifting of heavy loads are best accomplished by multiple unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Another important advantage to utilizing multiple vehicles is a reduction in the risk to successful completion of a mission due to the loss of a single vehicle. This increased robustness can lead to a commensurate decrease in vehicle specifications and cost, further improving the argument for swarm operations. This paper describes the development of an adaptive configuration controller for multiple vehicles executing a cooperative task in the presence of parametric uncertainty. A novel adaptive outer-loop controller that uses both local and global information is presented.