Three-dimensional line-of-sight-angle-constrained leader-following cooperative interception guidance law with prespecified impact time

To address the problem of multi-missile cooperative interception against maneuvering targets at a prespecified impact time and desired Line-of-Sight (LOS) angles in Three-Dimensional (3D) space, this paper proposes a 3D leader-following cooperative interception guidance law. First, in the LOS direction of the leader, an impact time-controlled guidance law is derived based on the fixed-time stability theory, which enables the leader to complete the interception task at a prespecified impact time. Next, in the LOS direction of the followers, by introducing a time consensus tracking error function, a fixed-time consensus tracking guidance law is investigated to guarantee the consensus tracking convergence of the time-to-go. Then, in the direction normal to the LOS, by combining the designed global integral sliding mode surface and the second-order Sliding Mode Control (SMC) theory, an innovative 3D LOS-angle-constrained interception guidance law is developed, which eliminates the reaching phase in the traditional sliding mode guidance laws and effectively saves energy consumption. Moreover, it effectively suppresses the chattering phenomenon while avoiding the singularity issue, and compensates for unknown interference caused by target maneuvering online, making it convenient for practical engineering applications. Finally, theoretical proof analysis and multiple sets of numerical simulation results verify the effectiveness, superiority, and robustness of the investigated guidance law.