Decoys Deployment for Missile Interception: A Multi-Agent Reinforcement Learning Approach

Enver Bildik*, Antonios Tsourdos, Adolfo Perrusquía, Gokhan Inalhan

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Recent advances in radar seeker technologies have considerably improved missile precision and efficacy during target interception. This is especially concerning in the arenas of protection and safety, where appropriate countermeasures against enemy missiles are required to ensure the protection of naval facilities. In this study, we present a reinforcement-learning-based strategy for deploying decoys to enhance the survival probability of a target ship against a missile threat. Our approach involves the coordinated operation of three decoys, trained using the Multi-Agent Deep Deterministic Policy Gradient (MADDPG) and Multi-Agent Twin Delayed Deep Deterministic Policy Gradient (MATD3) algorithms. The decoys operate in a leader–follower dynamic with a circular formation to ensure effective coordination. We evaluate the strategy across various parameters, including decoy deployment regions, missile launch directions, maximum decoy speeds, and missile speeds. The results indicate that, decoys trained with the MATD3 algorithm demonstrate superior performance compared to those trained with the MADDPG algorithm. Insights suggest that our decoy deployment strategy, particularly when utilizing MATD3-trained decoys, significantly enhances defensive measures against missile threats.

Original languageEnglish
Article number684
JournalAerospace
Volume11
Issue number8
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Aug 2024
Externally publishedYes

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2024 by the authors.

Keywords

  • decoy deployment strategy
  • missile defense
  • radar seeker technologies
  • reinforcement learning

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Decoys Deployment for Missile Interception: A Multi-Agent Reinforcement Learning Approach'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this