Dual-Aircraft Cooperative Occupying Method for Beyond-Visual-Range Engagement Based on Radar Blind Zone Analysis and Bézier Trajectory Optimization

Unmanned autonomous air combat, characterized by advantages such as zero casualties, low cost, and high maneuverability, represents the primary direction for future air combat development. The key to achieving victory in beyond-visual-range autonomous air combat lies in the drone′s ability to accurately analyze threats, advantages, and gains based on the situational awareness of both sides, and subsequently perform rapid occupying point calculation and guidance control. Considering that existing studies do not take radar detection blind spots into account when calculating optimal occupancy points, this article proposes a dual-aircraft cooperative occupying method based on radar detection blind spots and Bézier trajectory optimization. This method is constructed in three steps. First, considering actual radar characteristics, a missile launch zone model that eliminates radar blind spots is established. Next, based on the launch zone model, dual-aircraft cooperative air combat superiority, and threat-gain evaluation functions, the optimal cooperative occupying points are computed using a particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm. Finally, accounting for the physical constraints of the aircraft (minimum turning radius, tangential acceleration, and speed limits), a spatiotemporal Bézier cooperative trajectory planning method is developed to ensure synchronized arrival of both aircraft at the designated occupying points. Simulation analyses of two-versus-two scenarios demonstrate that when enemy aircraft approach at varying distances and headings, the proposed cooperative occupying method can calculate reasonable occupying points, whereas the spatiotemporal cooperative Bézier trajectory planning ensures simultaneous arrival at the target points, effectively encircling the enemy aircraft.