Cooperative Integrated Guidance and Control for Active Target Protection in Three-Player Conflict

Abstract

This paper addresses the active target protection problem in a three-player (Target–Attacker–Defender, TAD) conflict by proposing a cooperative integrated guidance and control (IGC) strategy. Unlike previous studies that have designed guidance and control loops separately, this work establishes an IGC model by linearizing both the translational motion and the rotational motion of the vehicles, thereby generating actuator commands directly. This model integrates the kinematics and short-period dynamics, providing a more comprehensive and accurate representation of the vehicles’ characteristics. Based on the linearization and order reduction, differential game theory and the sweep method are employed to derive and analytically solve the Riccati differential equation, yielding an optimal control strategy with an explicit expression. The theoretical rigor of the proposed approach is ensured through a proof of optimality sufficiency. Furthermore, factors influencing the computational accuracy of the Riccati equation solution, including the singular values of the control matrix and condition numbers of the solution matrix, are analyzed. Taking into account the dynamic response and limitations of the actuators, numerical simulations demonstrate the effectiveness and superiority of the proposed IGC strategy in intercepting the attacker and protecting the target compared to traditional separated guidance and control designs.