FALCON-S: Fixed-wing ground-effect Aerodynamics Simulator and Flight Control Learning Suite

• URL: http://arxiv.org/abs/2609.06046v1
• Date: Sat, 05 Sep 2026 12:00:02 GMT
• Title: FALCON-S: Fixed-wing ground-effect Aerodynamics Simulator and Flight Control Learning Suite
• Abstract summary: The simulator supports both CPU and GPU backends via Torch and NVIDIA Warp.<n>A unified interface accommodates a range of controllers across tasks such as altitude regulation and trajectory tracking.<n>Cross-validation with X-Plane and JSBSim is also supported to facilitate engineering integration and visual fidelity.
• Score: 15.798029970927535
• License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Abstract: We present a modular, high-fidelity simulation framework for the development and benchmarking of flight control strategies in fixed-wing aerial robots operating near the ground. Unlike existing simulators that rely on simplified or hover-oriented dynamics, our framework models full 6DoF rigid-body physics, semi-empirical ground-effect aerodynamics, actuator dynamics, sensor noise, and environmental disturbances. This physical realism, combined with modular component design, enables systematic analysis of low-altitude flight behavior under realistic conditions. The simulator supports both CPU and GPU backends via Torch and NVIDIA Warp, enabling high-throughput parallel execution suitable for large-scale reinforcement learning training and optimal control rollouts. A unified interface accommodates a range of controllers (both RL and optical control algorithms) across tasks such as altitude regulation and trajectory tracking. Cross-validation with X-Plane and JSBSim is also supported to facilitate engineering integration and visual fidelity.

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