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Volume 9
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10.3390/drones9070452
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This is an early access version, the complete PDF, HTML, and XML versions will be available soon.
Article

Distributed Prescribed-Time Formation Tracking Control for Multi-UAV Systems with External Disturbances

by
Ruichi Ren
1,2,
Kaiyu Qin
1,2,*,
Zhenbing Luo
3,
Boxian Lin
1,2,
Meng Li
1,2 and
Mengji Shi
1,2
1
School of Aeronautics and Astronautics, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 611731, China
2
Aircraft Swarm Intelligent Sensing and Cooperative Control Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu 611731, China
3
College of Aerospace Science and Engineering, National University of Defense Technology, Changsha 410073, China
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Drones 2025, 9(7), 452; https://doi.org/10.3390/drones9070452
Submission received: 22 May 2025 / Revised: 12 June 2025 / Accepted: 19 June 2025 / Published: 20 June 2025
Versions Notes

Abstract

In time-sensitive aerial missions such as urban surveillance, emergency response, and adversarial airspace operations, achieving rapid and reliable formation control of multi-UAV systems is crucial. This paper addresses the challenge of ensuring robust and efficient formation control under stringent time constraints. The proposed singularity-free prescribed-time formation (PTF) control scheme guarantees task completion within a user-defined time, independent of initial conditions and control parameters. Unlike existing scaling-based prescribed-time methods plagued by unbounded gains and fixed-time strategies with non-tunable convergence bounds, the proposed scheme uses fixed-time stability theory and systematic parameter tuning to avoid singularity issues while ensuring robustness and predictable convergence. The method also accommodates directed communication topologies and unknown external disturbances, allowing follower UAVs to track a dynamic leader and maintain the desired geometric formation. Finally, some simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed control strategy, showcasing its superiority over existing methods and validating its potential for practical applications.
Keywords: multi-UAV systems; formation tracking; prescribed-time convergence; unknown disturbances; stability analysis multi-UAV systems; formation tracking; prescribed-time convergence; unknown disturbances; stability analysis

Share and Cite

MDPI and ACS Style

Ren, R.; Qin, K.; Luo, Z.; Lin, B.; Li, M.; Shi, M. Distributed Prescribed-Time Formation Tracking Control for Multi-UAV Systems with External Disturbances. Drones 2025, 9, 452. https://doi.org/10.3390/drones9070452

AMA Style

Ren R, Qin K, Luo Z, Lin B, Li M, Shi M. Distributed Prescribed-Time Formation Tracking Control for Multi-UAV Systems with External Disturbances. Drones. 2025; 9(7):452. https://doi.org/10.3390/drones9070452

Chicago/Turabian Style

Ren, Ruichi, Kaiyu Qin, Zhenbing Luo, Boxian Lin, Meng Li, and Mengji Shi. 2025. "Distributed Prescribed-Time Formation Tracking Control for Multi-UAV Systems with External Disturbances" Drones 9, no. 7: 452. https://doi.org/10.3390/drones9070452

APA Style

Ren, R., Qin, K., Luo, Z., Lin, B., Li, M., & Shi, M. (2025). Distributed Prescribed-Time Formation Tracking Control for Multi-UAV Systems with External Disturbances. Drones, 9(7), 452. https://doi.org/10.3390/drones9070452

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