The flight control system (FCS) is the unit that controls the integrated aircraft, which makes the device stable and allows it to perform its mission accurately, and it is the "brain and nerve center" of the aircraft, the most vital part. The system along with the preloaded commands and environmental input, changes the executive organs (e.g. power systems, control surfaces, and propellers) either automatically or with the pilot's assistance to achieve attitude stabilization and trajectory control at every stage of the "takeoff - cruise - mission execution - landing" process, using real-time data such as the plane's orientation, location, and speed.
Flight control systems which are based on different control methods and scenarios can be divided into three classes: manual flight control which is dependent on pilots who send commands through remote controllers and the system only helps in stabilizing the attitude (for example, the "Attitude Mode" of consumer-grade aerial photography drones); semi-automatic flight control that has a limited number of autonomous functions (e.g., automatic takeoff, automatic return-to-home) and complex operations still require manual intervention (e.g., "Route Assistance Mode" of industrial-grade agricultural plant protection drones); full-automatic flight control that is a system which can operate without any manual intervention and is able to do route planning, mission execution, and emergency handling on its own (e.g., reconnaissance-strike integrated drones, unmanned manned aircraft of the military).
Applications:
Flight control systems need a design that is specifically customized for the type of the aircraft and the nature of the mission in order to perform their functions. This leads to three different major sectors applications: consumer-grade, industrial-grade, and military-grade.
1. Consumer-Grade Scenarios: Flight control systems in consumer-grade devices primarily serve the main objectives of "easy operation" and "safety".
The chief function of the flight control system for consumer-grade airborne devices is to "simplify the operation and make the process safe for beginners" where the most essential functions could be:
One-Click Takeoff/Return-to-Home: A novice user is not obligated to grasp the complex operations of drone flying fully—by clicking a "Takeoff Button" the drone will automatically take off and hover over the place while by clicking a "Return-to-Home Button" the aircraft will fly back to the takeoff point on its own thus, a loss is not allowed;
Attitude Stabilization Control: The tilt changes are corrected in time with PID algorithms. Even if the pilot is wrong (e.g., unintentionally pushing the joystick), the system will be able to bring the position back to level very quickly;
Smart Obstacle Avoidance: By detecting the obstacles ahead through the visual sensors it goes around or stays there to avoid a crash automatically. The obstacle avoidance efficiency of flight control systems in top-tier consumer-grade drones has, in 2024, reached 99%, thus the crash risks of beginners have been decreased significantly.
2. Industrial-Grade Scenarios: Flight control systems of industrial-grade aircraft should raise the issues of "precision" and "mission collaboration" for their success.
The flight control systems of industrial-grade aircraft (e.g., drones for agricultural plant protection, logistics drones, power inspection drones) are to satisfy the "high-precision operation" and "complex-environment adaptability" requirements. These systems are generally used in:
The agri-drone flight control system must be able to provide "non-overlapping routes and stable altitude" for equal pesticide distribution. Employing RTK positioning and "terrain following" technology, it can keep the height at 1.5 meters in a winding mountain orchard with route deviation ≤5 cm. The per-mu pesticide wastage rate has been lowered from 20%, which is the rate of traditional manual work, to less than 3%. One drone can be used to 500 mu in a day thus, it is the same output as that of 20 manual workers.
The logistics drone flight control system has to "precision landing" at difficult surroundings (e.g., residential areas and villages) in order to prevent the cargo from getting damaged. With the help of LiDAR and visual positioning, the drone's FCS can locate the delivery platform (1m×1m) in a city without a GPS signal and land there with an error of less than 10 cm. In 2024, over 3,000,000 deliveries of medicines and agricultural supplies were done in the rural areas of Yunnan without any instances of cargo damage due to flight control errors.
The power inspection drone flight control system has to "follow the lines and take distant close-ups" in order that the identification of line defects is secured. The State Grid's power inspection drone flight control system that supports "line following" mode is capable of automatically maintaining a distance of five meters from the lines and, thus, moving along the towers. Moreover, it operates cameras for the parts such as the insulators and connectors. The inspection efficiency is 6 times that of manual work, and it can find very slight defects that are quite difficult for people to notice. In 2024, the total number of line faults detected by the flight control systems of power inspection drones across the country was over 12,000.
3. Military Scenarios: Flight control systems of military aircraft should first of all demonstrate "strong anti-jamming capability" and "autonomous combat capability".
The core features of the middleware of military fighter planes (e.g., reconnaissance drones, recon-strike integrated drones, fighter jets) are "strong resistance to jamming" and "autonomous execution of complex missions". For example, the system can include the following features:
Anti-Electronic Jamming: To avoid the loss of control that is the result of enemy electronic jamming, the system does frequency-hopping communication and encrypted data transmission;
Autonomous Mission Planning: This capability permits multi-route presetting and various mission waypoints and, in addition, the system itself performs all the steps of "takeoff - reconnaissance - target identification - return-to-home" without the intervention of the human operator;
Emergency Fault-Tolerant Control: Should some executive mechanisms be broken, the flight control system, through the remaining power, can still perform the "emergency return-to-home" or "emergency landing" functions thereby, the chances of survival in the battlefield are augmented.
FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions
1. When and where will the Expo be held?
The Expo will be at Hall C, Xiamen International Conference and Exhibition Center (XICEC), Xiamen, China from May 13 to 15, 2026.
2. What is the exhibition scale?
The event is spread over 40,000 m² and is showcasing 350+ companies. Moreover, it is predicted to bring together 30,000+ professional visitors from all over the world.
3. What activities are included?
There will be over 80 professional forums and events talking about such topics as smart mobility, transport communication, safety, and sustainable development.
4. How many countries and regions are involved?
The Expo will have attendees from over 80 countries and regions and thus, it will be a global meet for intelligent transportation innovation.
5. Are there opportunities for cooperation?
Indeed. With more than 1,000 global partners, the Expo is a hub of business collaboration, technology exchange, and investment that is full of great opportunities.
6. Who can I contact for details?
The information you are looking for is accessible if you contact the Organizing Committee via the Contact Us section on the official website.
