Three-dimensional prescribed time cooperative interception guidance law considering communication delay

Abstract The article addresses the problem of intercepting maneuvering targets in a three-dimensional space by multiple vehicles, proposing a three-dimensional prescribed-time cooperative interception guidance law that considers communication delays. We introduce a prescribed-time convergent sliding mode surface based on the consensus of the remaining distance of the vehicles along the line-of-sight direction. A prescribed-time cooperative guidance law is designed to ensure the convergence of impact times across multiple vehicles, fulfilling the requirement of simultaneous target hit at a specified time. Additionally, to enhance the guidance performance, an adaptive guidance law is incorporated, with a line-of-sight normal prescribed-time cooperative guidance law designed to enable each vehicle to converge its line-of-sight angular rate to zero within the predetermined time. Furthermore, a cooperative guidance law considering communication delays is proposed. Theoretical analysis demonstrates that the proposed guidance method ensures simultaneous target interception by multiple vehicles. Simulation results validate the correctness and effectiveness of the proposed method.