Cooperative Optimal Guidance With Inter-Interceptor Avoidance and Angle Constraints

This article proposes a cooperative optimal guidance law that accounts for terminal angle constraints and collision avoidance. By constructing a linearized engagement model and applying the zero-effort transformation, the problem is formulated as a linear–quadratic optimal control problem with the energy consumption being the cost function. The analytic guidance command is derived by utilizing the general dead-zone function. The proposed guidance law extends the conventional optimal impact angle control guidance law to the multi-interceptor scenario, i.e., it enables n interceptors to intercept n corresponding targets at specified terminal angles, while generating appropriate control commands based on the interceptors’ maneuvering capabilities to avoid mutual collisions. Two engagement scenarios involving two and three interceptor–target pairs are analyzed to illustrate the applications under varying levels of complexity. The three-pair case is simulated to validate the effectiveness and performance of the proposed optimal cooperative guidance law.