Cooperative Guidance Law Considering Tangential Acceleration Constraint

A novel finite-time cooperative guidance (FnTCG) law is proposed in this paper for multi-aircraft systems to achieve cooperative attacks on maneuvering targets with three-dimensional LOS angle control. The FnTCG law employs tangential acceleration for salvo attacks along the LOS direction and normal acceleration for terminal angle-constrained interceptions. The methodology comprises three key steps. First, a finite-time extended state observer is designed to estimate the target-induced disturbances. Second, using the finite-time observer and consensus protocol, normal accelerations are developed to converge the LOS angles to the desired values within a finite time. Finally, a consensus protocol is used to derive the tangential acceleration under input constraints to ensure finite-time salvo attacks. Notably, this work avoids linearization, eliminates singularity issues, and enables input saturation. The finite-time stability of the proposed FnTCG law is rigorously established. Numerical simulations demonstrate its effectiveness and advantages in comparison to existing methods.