Preliminary Handling Qualities Recommendations for Autonomous H-Tail Flying Booms in Aerial Refueling

The handling qualities (HQ) of an H-tail flying boom directly affect the docking success rate in autonomous aerial refueling (AAR) missions. However, existing HQ criteria, established primarily based on manned operations, are difficult to apply directly to unmanned systems. To bridge this gap, this study first establishes a dynamic model of the H-tail boom in the boom-fixed coordinate system by simultaneously solving the equations of motion to eliminate universal joint constraint forces. Subsequently, representative AAR tasks for HQ assessment are devised, specifically tailored to the autonomous H-tail boom. In parallel, a comprehensive set of performance metrics is established to quantify HQ levels. Furthermore, two sets of closed-loop characteristic parameters—equivalent natural frequency and equivalent damping ratio, as well as bandwidth and phase—are proposed for HQ evaluation. Through extensive numerical simulations and quantitative evaluations, preliminary HQ level boundary recommendations are delineated across various parameter combinations. These findings provide technical references for attitude control law design, docking strategy optimization, and flight testing protocols of the autonomous H-tail refueling boom.