Close target reconnaissance using autonomous UAV formations

In this paper the problem of close target reconnaissance by a formation of 3 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) is considered. The overall close target reconnaissance (CTR) involves subtasks of avoiding obstacles or no-fly-zones, avoiding inter-agent collisions, reaching a close vicinity of a specified target position, and forming an equilateral triangular formation around the target. The UAVs performing the task fly at constant speeds. A decentralized control scheme is developed for this overall task considering unidirectional sensing/control architecture. Relevant analysis and simulation test results are provided.