Safety Assurance in Multi-UAV Formation Tracking Control Amidst Missile Threats

The safety of multiple unmanned aerial vehicle (multi-UAV) systems threatened by enemy missiles is crucial for their effective formation control. In this paper, a distributed safety control strategy is developed that enables multi-UAV systems to execute formation tasks while avoiding enemy missiles. The proposed method considers enemy missiles as dynamic constraints on the multi-UAV system and is adaptable to changes in the number of UAVs. By ensuring each UAV remains within a defined safe set, the system can avoid incoming missiles while maximizing operational freedom for each UAV. The control strategy utilizes the backstepping control technique, making the computational process relatively inexpensive. Simulation results validate the effectiveness and adaptability of the proposed method in continuously changing threat environments. Our approach offers a promising solution for achieving safe and efficient multi-UAV cooperative operations in hostile environments.