An adaptive fast fixed-time guidance law with an impact angle constraint for intercepting maneuvering targets

Sliding mode guidance laws based on a conventional terminal sliding mode guarantees only finite-time convergence, which verifies that the settling time is required to be estimated by selecting appropriate initial launched conditions. However, rapid convergence to a desired impact angle within a uniform bounded finite time is important in most practical guidance applications. A uniformly finite-time/fixed-time convergent guidance law means that the convergence (settling) time is predefined independently on initial conditions, that is, a closed-loop convergence time can be estimated a priori by guidance parameters. In this paper, a novel adaptive fast fixed-time sliding mode guidance law to intercept maneuver targets at a desired impact angle from any initial heading angle, with no problems of singularity and chattering, is designed. The proposed guidance law achieves system stabilization within bounded settling time independent on initial conditions and achieves more rapid convergence than those of fixed-time stable control methods by accelerating the convergence rate when the system is close to the origin. The achieved acceleration-magnitude constraints are rigorously enforced, and the chattering-free property is guaranteed by adaptive switching gains. Extensive numerical simulations are presented to validate the efficiency and superiority of the proposed guidance law for different initial engagement geometries and impact angles.