Flight path optimization with application to in-flight replanning to changing destinations

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to present a new approach for finding a minimum-length trajectory for an autonomous unmanned air vehicle or a long-range missile from a release point with specified release conditions to a destination with specified approach conditions. The trajectory has to avoid obstacles and no-fly zones and must take into account the kinematic constraints of the air vehicle. Design/methodology/approach A discrete routing model is proposed that represents the airspace by a sophisticated network. The problem is then solved by applying standard shortest-path algorithms. Findings In contrast to the most widely used grids, the generated networks allow arbitrary flight directions and turn angles, as well as maneuvers of different strengths, thus fully exploiting the flight capabilities of the aircraft. Moreover, the networks are resolution-independent and provide high flexibility by the option to adapt density. Practical implications As an application, a concept for in-flight replanning of flight paths to changing destinations is proposed. All computationally intensive tasks are performed in a pre-flight planning prior to the launch of the mission. The in-flight planning is based entirely on precalculated data, which are stored in the onboard computer of the air vehicle. In particular, no path finding algorithms with high or unpredictable running time and uncertain outcome have to be applied during flight. Originality/value The paper presents a new network-based algorithm for flight path optimization that overcomes weaknesses of grid-based approaches and allows high-quality solutions. The method can be applied for quick in-flight replanning of flight paths.