Fly-By-Wire Flight Control System Design Considerations for Fighter Aircraft

The application of fly-by-wire flight control systems in fighter aircraft influences the basic design of the aircraft and requires special attention to certain design characteristics of the control system. The use of control-configured vehicle concepts for performance benefits makes fly-by-wire a logical choice. Redundancy management, protection against power loss, lightning protection and controller selection are prime design factors to be considered. Flight testing of the YF-16 aircraft has demonstrated excellent performance and operating characteristics of its fly-by-wire flight control system.