Multivariable control design for turbine engines has been studied for over 20 years. In the last 10 years, the application of linear, optimal design techniques has produced a number of turbine engine controllers. A group of these design procedures is described and a discussion of the procedures’ performance, complexity and implementation is presented. The design of a full-envelope controller for the F100 turbofan engine based on linear, optimal synthesis and locally linear modeling techniques is discussed. A perspective of optimal control design for turbine engines is presented and the future is examined.