Autonomous Tracking and Terminal Guidance of Moving Targets for Fixed-Wing UAVs

• URL: http://arxiv.org/abs/2607.12801v1
• Date: Tue, 14 Jul 2026 14:16:05 GMT
• Title: Autonomous Tracking and Terminal Guidance of Moving Targets for Fixed-Wing UAVs
• Abstract summary: This study introduces a unified control framework for fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles fitted with a pan-tilt (PT) camera.<n>The proposed system employs a three-phase strategy: a vision-based target acquisition phase, an NMPC-based tracking phase, and a terminal guidance phase.<n>High-fidelity simulations demonstrate that the framework achieves stable, robust tracking and accurate terminal interception.
• Score: 0.0
• License: http://arxiv.org/licenses/nonexclusive-distrib/1.0/
• Abstract: This study introduces a unified control framework for fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) fitted with a pan-tilt (PT) camera, intended to perform an end-to-end mission spanning from initial target detection to accurate terminal engagement. The proposed system employs a three-phase strategy: a vision-based target acquisition phase, an NMPC-based tracking phase, and a terminal guidance phase. During tracking, the framework uses an Unscented Kalman Filter (UKF) to fuse YOLO-based visual detections with inertial measurements, enabling robust target state estimation under unknown dynamics. To ensure reliable visual contact, we introduce a constraint-aware Nonlinear Model Predictive Control (NMPC) strategy that incorporates Control Barrier Functions (CBFs) to explicitly prevent UAV self-occlusion -- a common limitation in fixed-wing tracking. Upon satisfying terminal engagement conditions, the system seamlessly transitions control to a quaternion-based Biased Proportional Navigation Guidance (BPNG) law, enforcing precise impact angle constraints. High-fidelity simulations demonstrate that the framework achieves stable, robust tracking and accurate terminal interception while strictly respecting the vehicle's dynamic limits and camera field-of-view constraints.

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