Abstract

Cooperative multi-agent aerial systems are transforming aerial logistics and manipulation by enabling drones to perform dynamic physical interactions. This paper presents the complete modeling and control of a two-quadcopter system executing a high-speed throw-and-catch maneuver. A high-fidelity MATLAB simulation couples a throwing unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) that launches a ballistic payload with a catching UAV that autonomously intercepts it. The main challenge lies in achieving reliable interception of a fast, unpowered projectile under severe dynamic and latency constraints. Conventional reactive-pursuit controllers, which continuously track the projectile, were found to be unstable and computationally infeasible. To overcome these limitations, a lightweight Predictive Intercept Controller (PIC) is proposed, which computes a single fixed spatio-temporal intercept point using the projectile's ballistic model and commands a tuned Proportional–Derivative (PD) controller to reach it. Monte Carlo evaluations demonstrate a 93.3% interception success rate across randomized launch conditions, with mean spatial and temporal errors below 0.12 m and 40 ms, respectively. The results confirm that the proposed predictive–feedback framework is robust, repeatable, and suitable for real-time implementation on embedded UAV platforms.