Three-dimensional vector guidance law with impact time and angle constraints

The three-dimensional (3D) impact time and angle guidance problem is of great practical significance but remains open because of the coupling nonlinearity and multiple constraints. To solve this problem, a 3D vector guidance law is proposed in this paper to intercept a non-maneuvering target at the desired impact conditions. First, a 3D vector impact angle constrained guidance law with explicit time-to-go estimation is developed by extending the planar one into the 3D space. Then, the intercepting component of the above guidance law is augmented by a time-to-go feedback term, which leads to the proposed 3D vector impact time and angle guidance law. Stability analysis and parameter selection criteria are presented to show the advantageous features of the proposed design. In particular, the proposed guidance law does not require the switch logic, numerical algorithms, or decoupling strategy, which outperforms similar existing results in terms of continuous command and convenient implementation. Finally, several numerical simulations are performed to validate the theoretical findings.