Finite-Time Cooperative Guidance Strategy for Impact Angle and Time Control

In this article, two cooperative guidance schemes with impact angle and time constraints are proposed for multiple missiles cooperatively intercepting a maneuvering target in the presence or absence of a leader missile. First, cooperative interception with impact angle constraint is formulated based on the relative motion equation between the interceptors. Subsequently, the design of the guidance law is divided into two stages. In the first stage, based on finite-time consensus theory and the super-twisting control algorithm, the cooperative guidance law in the direction of the line of sight (LOS) is derived to control the impact time so that all missiles can simultaneously intercept the target in finite time. Then, based on finite-time sliding mode control and the super-twisting control algorithm, a finite-time convergence cooperative guidance law in the normal direction to the LOS is developed to control the intercept angle and the LOS angle rate so that each missile can accurately hit the target at a desired angle. Finally, by controlling the consensus error of flight time in the presence of a leader missile, a finite-time cooperative guidance method in the “leader–follower” scenario is derived for simultaneous arrival at the target. The proposed methods can effectively suppress chattering and ensure fast convergence in finite time. Simulation experiments are conducted to verify the effectiveness of the proposed cooperative guidance schemes.