Research on Adaptive Control Approach of Firefighting UAVs with Fire-Extinguishing Bombs

Due to the strong mobility and small size, fire-fighting UAVs with fire-extinguishing bombs are ideal for handling high-rise building fires. However, the launch of fire-extinguishing bombs causes not only undesirable recoil but also the significant mass variation of the vehicle. These adverse factors, together with the complicated air turbulence and extreme heat in the high-rise fire spot, make the stable flight control of fire-fighting UAVs a challenging task. In view of the above facts, a model reference adaptive control approach is presented to deal with the flight control problem of fire-fighting UAVs during fire-fighting missions. Simulation results show the effectiveness of the proposed approach.