Efficient numerical solution of differential games with application to air combat

For complex pursuit-evasion games, a new approach is developed to compute optimal feedback strategies along optimal trajectories. This approach exploits the relationship between pursuit-evasion games and optimal control problems of minimum-time intercept. The numerical solution of the optimal control problem is first obtained by means of a direct collocation method and then by the indirect multiple shooting method. Based on the latter solution, optimal trajectories of the pursuit-evasion game are computed efficiently by means of the multiple shooting method, too. As an illustrative example, the evasion of an aircraft from a pursuing missile is investigated. The flight of the aircraft is restricted by a state variable inequality constraint which limits the dynamic pressure. Different methods for treating this first-order state constraint are discussed. The optimal trajectories exhibit boundary arcs with regular and singular constrained controls. (orig.)Available from TIB Hannover: RO 7722(466) / FIZ - Fachinformationszzentrum Karlsruhe / TIB - Technische InformationsbibliothekSIGLEDEGerman