Defense of a Target Against Intelligent Adversaries: A Linear Quadratic Formulation

This paper addresses the Active Target Defense Differential Game with three players, the Target, the Attacker, and the Defender. The Target tries to reach its goal while evading the Attacker. The Attacker aims at the Target trying to avoid the Defender while the Defender protects the Target by interposing himself between the Attacker's and the target and trying to intercept the Attacker as far as possible from the Target. The agents are constrained by their use of control energy. The problem becomes a linear quadratic differential game and the analytical solution is obtained. In this paper the Active Target Defense Differential Game paradigm is extended to address two novelties: a goal set for the Target and the expenditure of control energy by the players.