We propose an adaptive nonlinear control algorithm for high precision tracking and stabilization of LOS(Line-of-Sight). The friction parameters of the LOS gimbal are estimated by off-line evolutionary strategy and the friction is compensated by estimated friction compensator. Especially, as the nonlinear control input in a small tracking error zone is enlarged by the nonlinear function, the steady state error is significantly reduced. The proposed algorithm is a direct adaptive control method based on the Lyapunov stability theory, and its convergence is guaranteed under the limited modeling error or torque disturbance. The performance of the pro-posed algorithm is verified by computer simulation on the LOS gimbal model of a moving vehicle.