Video Recording of the PhD Dissertation Defense on "Fault-Tolerant and Learning-Based Adaptive Guidance and Control Strategies for Missile and UAV Interception" by Mr. Abdulrazaq Nafiu, A Fulltime Graduate Student of CIE Dept., KFUPM, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, April 29th, 2026.

Abstract:

This thesis presents a unified framework for advanced guidance, control, and interception of modern aerial threats, addressing both high-speed missile targets and low-altitude unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) incursions. The rapid evolution of aerial threats, particularly maneuvering missiles and cooperative UAV swarms, poses significant challenges to conventional air defense systems. While traditional missile guidance approaches suffer from limitations due to decoupled design and lack of fault resilience, existing UAV interception methods often fail to scale efficiently or handle adversarial behaviors. To address these challenges, this research develops integrated guidance and control (IGC) strategies with fault tolerance for missile systems, alongside data-driven and control-integrated UAV-to-UAV interception frameworks. By combining nonlinear control theory with unsupervised machine learning, the thesis establishes a multi-layered and adaptive defense architecture capable of robust, accurate, and scalable interception across diverse threat scenarios.

Speaker Bio:

Abdulrazaq Nafiu Abubakar obtained his Ph.D. in Control and Instrumentation Engineering from King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM), Saudi Arabia, in April 2026. His doctoral research, titled “Fault Tolerant and Learning-Based Adaptive Guidance and Control Strategies for Missile and UAV Interception,” focused on advanced control methodologies for autonomous and defense systems. He received his M.Tech. degree in Electrical and Electronics Engineering with specialization in Industrial Automation from Sharda University, India, in 2021, and his bachelor’s degree in Mechatronics Engineering from Bayero University Kano, Nigeria, in 2019. Dr. Abdulrazaq was a recipient of a fully funded Ph.D. scholarship at KFUPM, a vice chancellors gold medal from Sharda University for the best graduating student in the EE department and the Ahmad Adamu Muazu prize for the best graduating student in the faculty of engineering at BUK 2019. His research interests include Machine learning based control systems, AI in robotics, UAV-to-UAV interception, missile guidance and control, fault-tolerant control, and cyber-attack-resilient control systems.