A conic-programing-based approach for trajectory optimisation of unmanned gliders

In recent years, employing Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) to collect data and make measurements has gained momentum. Often, the use of UAVs allows for a reduction in costs and improvements of other performance criteria. Those characteristics make UAVs suitable for disaster assessment, response and management. While the utilisation of powered UAVs has been broadly investigated in the literature, the employment of unpowered UAVs such as gliders has not been well explored. In fact, specialised control systems based on optimisation must be developed in order to guide such vehicles during their operations. In this paper we consider the problem of guiding a glider, along predetermined waypoints, in a wind field. We propose a Conic Programming Glider Trajectory Optimisation Problem, motivated by disaster assessment applications, and a solution framework. Some preliminary computational results are presented at the end of this work.