A Formation Path-Following Guidance Method for Fixed-Wing UAV Based on Front-Positioned Moving-Target

Aiming at the shortcomings of the current fixed-wing UAV formation path-following method, which has poor adaptability to complex paths and low accuracy in path-following and formation keeping, a formation path-following guidance method for fixed-wing UAV based on front-positioned moving-target was proposed. Based on the requirement of single UAV’s path-following, a path-following strategy based on front-positioned moving-target was proposed, and a multi-UAV formation path-following strategy was further extended according to formation parameters and paths to achieve formation maintenance and path-following flight of UAV clusters. The convergence and asymptotic stability of this method were proved by Lyapunov’s second method. Mathematical simulation experiments show that this method can achieve stable formation path-following of UAVs. Compared with PID position control based methods, vector-field methods and existing front-positioned moving-target based method, it can significantly improve the accuracy and stability of path-following and formation maintenance, making the formation more adaptable to cooperative turns on paths with variable and complex changing curvature.