Formation flight as a cooperative game

Abstract

Close formation flight is considered in the context of cooperative game theory and the natural aggregate motion of flocking birds, schooling fish, and herds of land animals. The airplanes in the formation are allowed to maneuver individually. However, the maneuver chosen by each airplane stems from basic flocking instincts such as collision avoidance, obstacle avoidance, and formation keeping. Consequently, there is no designated leader of the formation and the airplanes cooperate to achieve a common target seeking objective for the formation. Two examples are simulated. One example illustrates a formation of five aircraft completing a heading change maneuver while encountering several environmental obstacles. The second example demonstrates cooperative behavior as part of the formation breaks away to inspect a potential target or adversary. The results illustrate that the formation of aircraft can follow very precise and intricate three-dimensional paths while still acting as a group.