Cooperative Defense via Region-Based Interception in Turret-Evader-Pursuer Engagement

Recent advancements in autonomous defense systems have emphasized the need for intelligent and autonomously operating ground combat platforms capable of protecting mobile agents within a designated region, particularly in scenarios where traditional mobile defenders exhibit limited effectiveness in intercepting pursuers targeting the evader. A turret system is one such platform, designed to autonomously sense and engage potential threats. To this end, this paper investigates a two-dimensional (2-D) pursuit-evasion region-based scenario involving three agents: an evader, a turret, and a pursuer. We design cooperative region-based guidance strategies for the turret-evader team to protect the evader from the pursuer. The turret aims to neutralize the pursuer by aligning itself with it, while the evader's objectives are to remain behind the turret to avoid being hit by it and to maneuver toward its vicinity. Based on the turret's sensing capabilities and the potential engagement outcomes, the engagement region is partitioned into concentric zones. We present numerical simulations to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed guidance strategies under various initial configurations.