Formation optimization of airborne radar coordinated detection system using an improved Artificial Fish Swarm Algorithm
Authors: Li Tingting , Meng Tiankuo , Meng Guanglei , Wang Chenguang , Wang Biao , Zhou Mingzhe , Han Xingyuan 
Published: January 2024

In modern air combat, collaborative detection and engagement among multiple aircraft have gradually become a predominant combat approach. In response to the challenges posed by modern stealth aircraft, although their external factors such as coatings significantly reduce the chances of enemy detection, once these stealth aircraft activate their radar systems, they become susceptible to detection. Therefore, an application model has been proposed to mitigate enemy detection of our stealth aircraft through a collaborative approach. The underlying principle involves employing the concept of multi-aircraft collaboration, where the aircraft are divided into transmitters and receivers. The transmitters emit radar waves while the receivers are responsible for receiving these waves. This approach effectively mitigates the increased probability of enemy detection resulting from the activation of our receivers' radar systems. The optimization problem we aim to address is determining the optimal formation configuration for cooperative flight, specifically a formation with a specific configuration that maximizes the detectable range. This optimization problem is known as the configuration optimization problem for Airborne Radar Network with Separate Transmitting and Receiving (ARN-STAR). Existing methods for this problem typically suffer from limitations in either effectiveness or efficiency. To overcome these limitations, we propose an optimized configuration method based on an improved Artificial Fish Swarm Algorithm (IFSA) for ARN-STAR. Firstly, leveraging the distribution characteristics of the target radar wave’s spatial scattering and the concept of dual-radar spatial diversity, we establish a mathematical model and an optimization objective function for ARN-STAR. Secondly, to address efficiency concerns, we optimize the computational process using the IAFS, successfully improving the speed of computation. To address the issue of effectiveness, we introduce adaptive adjustments to the movement step size of the artificial fish and improve the implementation of the three behavioral modes, thereby avoiding local optima and enhancing the accuracy of finding the optimal configuration. Finally, using our self-developed multi-aircraft collaborative simulation platform, we apply the improved AFSA to obtain the optimal formation configuration scheme and compare it with other methods. Simulation results demonstrate that our proposed method effectively solves the problem of finding the optimal formation configuration in multi-aircraft collaborative detection scenarios with “one transmission and multiple receptions.” It overcomes the low computational efficiency associated with traditional methods while maintaining good accuracy. This approach enables the enhancement of overall combat capabilities while ensuring the safety of our aircraft to the greatest extent possible. It should be noted that the scenarios discussed in this study are at the configurational configuration level between UAVs, rather than involving the design of the UAVs combat control system itself.