Pursuit-evasion between two realistic aircraft

Pursuit-evasion problems between two aircraft in coplanar motion are analyzed by the differential dynamic programming method. For each aircraft a realistic variable-speed model is used where the longitudinal acceleration depends on speed, turn rate, and throttle setting. The turn rate is constrained by structural as well as stall limits. The pursuer has the turn rate and throttle setting as input controls, whereas the evader only uses the turn rate. In addition, the pursuer's optimal initial speed can be obtained from the algorithm used. The performance objective in the pursuit-evasion problem is the separation distance at a specified final time. Solutions of this nontrivial problem are calculated for a range of parameter settings. The results show that optimal setting of the throttle and optimal choice of the initial velocity can render considerable improvement for the pursuer, relative to nonoptimal strategies.