Multi-UAV Cooperative Mission Assignment Based on Hybrid WAFC-RRAS Algorithm

Multi-UAV cooperative mission assignment is an important research direction in the field of UAV research. In the planning process, the assignment conflict between UAVs and mission points and the solution efficiency are the key difficulties in multi-UAV cooperative mission assignment. Based on the Weighted Approximate Flight Cost (WAFC) method and the Reduced Redundant Assignment Scheme (RRAS) algorithm, a multi-UAV cooperative mission problem considering different assignment models is proposed. The contributions of this study are: firstly, the approximate flight cost matrix is constructed based on the vertical distance between the UAV and the mission point, and the matrix is applied to calculate the initial flight distance of the UAV, which fully takes into account the effects of mountain type and radar threat on the mission assignment. Secondly, the auxiliary flight cost method and the spatial mapping matrix are constructed, which maps the discrete approximation of the flight cost to the continuous space and solves the UAV’s local conflict problem in the assignment process. Finally, an adaptive selection mutation strategy based on iterative individual fitness values is proposed to reduce the redundancy of candidate assignment schemes and improve the efficiency of the planning system. The simulation results verify that the algorithm has high cooperative capability, good robustness and fast solution speed when dealing with cooperative multi-UAV mission assignment planning.