Frequency Domain Analysis of F-16 Aircraft in a Variety of Flight Conditions

Abstract

Analyzing the flight quality of an aircraft obliges the examination of the natural stability of the system. In this paper, the frequency domain response of the F-16 aircraft dynamics is analyzed with performed Simulink models considering two different trimming conditions because the frequency-domain methods have many distinct and important advantages compared to time-domain methods. The nonlinear model is established by utilizing aerodynamic, propulsive, and atmospheric databases. Then, the trim analysis for cruise flight is performed to obtain trim parameters and, the aircraft is also linearized numerically. From the linearized dynamics for each trim condition, transfer functions are obtained for each input. Subsequently, to obtain information on the dynamic behavior of the aircraft, the linear model is inspected in the frequency domain. Finally, flight quality analysis was investigated by considering the lateral and longitudinal modes of the aircraft, accordance with international standards.

Keywords

• Frequency Domain Analysis
• F-16 Aircraft
• Longitudinal Motion
• Lateral Motion
• System Dynamics

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