Controlling the motion of a group of unmanned flight vehicles in a perturbed environment based on the rules

Controlling the motion of a group of unmanned flight vehicles (FVs) in a perturbed environment is considered on the example of two similar problems: tracking of the dynamic target and moving along the given path. The problem of the target tracking implies that a randomly-arranged FV group approaches close to the target and flies near it during a specified time period. The low-velocity target seeks to evade from the pursuers as far as possible. In the path following problem, each FV needs to fly along the trajectory given by the motion of a corresponding reference target. In the process of problem solving, each FV implements behavioral strategies by following the proposed rules of orientation angles and velocity selection. Pontryagin's maximum principle and a geometric approach are applied to construct the control angles. The general simulation scheme of the pursuit process that takes into account the mathematical models of FVs and the wind disturbances is provided. In the experimental part of the paper, the solution of the specified problems is modeled in a perturbed environment.