Trajectory Planning of Fixed-wing UAV Using Kinodynamic RRT Algorithm

Trajectory planning is one of the key issues in autonomous flight of fixed wing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV). This paper proposes a method for fixed wing UAV trajectory planning based on kinodynamic RRT
^*
algorithm and verified through Simulink flight test. This method hinges on a state space model for fixed wing UAV flight dynamics using feedback linearization. Kinodynamic RRT
^*
is used to plan the trajectory of the UAV. Simulink/MATLAB flight simulation test is used as a fast and low-cost way to verify the numerical results of the algorithm. The results show that the method proposed can quickly generate a feasible flight trajectory, and the error with the simulated flight data is within a reasonable range.