Active target defence differential game: fast defender case. Issue 17 (18th September 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Garcia, Eloy; Casbeer, David W.; Pachter, Meir
• Is Part Of: IET control theory & applications. Volume 11:Issue 17(2017)
• Page Start: 2985
• Page End: 2993
• Publication Date: 2017-09-18
• Subjects: differential games -- missile control -- aircraft control; active target defence differential game -- aerospace control -- ATDDG -- attacker missile -- defender missile -- target wingman -- defender mission -- zero‐sum DG -- cooperative strategy -- terminal separation maximisation -- terminal distance minimisation -- instantaneous optimal heading angles -- agent strategies -- state feedback laws -- motion dynamics -- optimal headings -- visual range engagement -- pertinent operational headings; Control theory -- Periodicals; Automatic control -- Periodicals; 629.8312
• DOI: 10.1049/iet-cta.2017.0302
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1751-8644

Abstract

Abstract : A particular problem in aerospace control and applications is the active target defence differential game (ATDDG), where an attacker missile tries to capture a target aircraft which is significantly slower than the attacker. A third agent is a defender missile which is fired by the Target's wingman. The defender's mission is to intercept the attacker in time to enable a successful target evasion and its survival. The problem is naturally posed as a zero‐sum DG. The target and the defender form a team; their objective is to determine a cooperative strategy to maximise the terminal separation between the target aircraft and the point where the Attacker missile is intercepted by the Defender missile. The Attacker is the opposition and its task is to devise its own strategy to minimise the same terminal distance. The solution of the ATDDG provides the instantaneous optimal heading angles for each agent playing the game in order to achieve their objectives. Most importantly, the agents' strategies are state feedback laws. The assumption of simple motion dynamics of the agents yields their optimal headings which is adequate in a beyond visual range engagement, as it is currently envisioned to be the pertinent operational scenario.