On Maneuverability of Fixed-Wing Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Formations

Abstract

The problem of determining feasible maneuver envelope in multi-unmanned aerial vehicle (multi-UAV) formations is considered. In the leader–follower framework, an analysis is carried out relating the three fundamental physical constraints of follower UAVs, namely, bank angle, stalling speed, and maximum speed, to the leader’s maneuver. The closed-form relationships are further analyzed in detail to determine the set of follower UAVs that characterize the envelope boundary and their dependency on the maneuver. The maneuver envelope for a general multiple UAV formation is expressed in the turn radius-speed space of the leader, and validation studies are considered for various formation sizes and geometries. As a first, the work presents a complete and analytic solution to the problem considering arbitrary formation configuration and accounting for all the fundamental fixed-wing UAV physical constraints.