Platform description and system modelling for control of an unmanned helicopter

This paper presents the Scout B1-100 autonomous unmanned helicopter platform and an appropriate mathematical model for the hovering flight. The assembly of the experimental helicopter platform and its different hardware components are depicted. A dynamical model of the helicopter is derived from first principles and then linearized to obtain system description in state space. The model can be used for controller design in hovering flight. The model parameters are determined using time domain identification techniques. The identified model has been also validated.