An adaptive control algorithm is numerically implemented to examine the eff
ectiveness of an online estimation/control scheme for stabilizing the store
release of a military aircraft. The adaptive law is based on a gradient me
thod used for parameter estimation and is modified with the algorithms of l
eakage and dynamic normalization to robustify the adaptation. A linear quad
ratic control law based on a Luenberger observer is then used to close the
loop. An active method of decoupling the wing from store pitch inertia effe
cts for the wing/store Butter suppression problem is proposed. The proposed
active decoupler pylon involves the use of a piezoceramic wafer strut as a
n actuator, which acts as a soft spring between the wing and the store. A t
wo-degree-of-freedom typical section of an airfoil is used to represent the
structural model of an F-16 aircraft wing, and the Butter problem is studi
ed in incompressible flow regime, where the circulatory component of the ae
roloads is modeled using Jones' approximation to the Theodorsen function. T
he aerodynamic effects on the store are, however, neglected to make the ana
lysis simple. This study demonstrated the effectiveness of the proposed ada
ptive control strategy in improving the performance and robustness to sudde
n variation in store mass, a realistic situation representing the dropping
of underwing bombs.