Online Synchronous Coordinated Assignment and Planning for Heterogeneous Fixed-Wing UAVs

This paper addresses the Multi-Target Reconnaissance (MTR) problem for heterogeneous Fixed-Wing Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (FW-UAVs), focusing on synchronized and time-optimal mission execution under stringent constraints. A two-stage coordinated assignment and planning framework is proposed. First, a time-balanced clustering algorithm is designed to minimize the overall mission duration while balancing individual UAV workloads by jointly employing a target reallocation strategy and an improved Genetic Algorithm (GA). Subsequently, an online trajectory planning method based on differential flatness is developed, integrating a robust replanning and flight-time synchronization strategy to ensure coordinated execution. Simulation results unequivocally demonstrate that the proposed approach enhances time optimality and temporal coordination in complex scenarios.