Cascaded Model Predictive Control for Coordinated Formation of Hypersonic Glide Vehicle Swarms

To efficiently achieve coordinated formation of hypersonic glide vehicle (HGV) swarms, a cascaded model predictive control (MPC) framework is developed to integrate decision and control within a unified structure. At the decision level, receding-horizon planning is performed to address formation objectives, threat avoidance, and collision prevention, while real-time tracking is ensured at the control level under aerodynamic constraints. The two levels are coupled to form a closed planning–tracking–correction loop, thereby achieving decision-control integration. A modular structure is adopted to allow independent design of each level and to support flexible adaptation and scalable deployment. The effectiveness of the framework is demonstrated through simulations in achieving coordinated formation, threat avoidance, and inter-vehicle collision prevention.