Multi-Agent Deferred-Decision Trajectory Optimization with Anytime-Valid Target Retention for Moving Candidates

Farbod Siahkali, Mengxue Hou, Vijay Gupta

We study multi-agent terminal interception when one of several moving candidates is the unknown target and both target identity and candidate terminal locations are uncertain. We develop a receding-horizon deferred-decision trajectory optimization (DDTO) controller that combines conformal terminal-location prediction, sequential candidate rejection, capacity-constrained assignment, and candidate-contingent planning. Under exchangeability conditions for terminal and identity residuals, with predictable querying, we establish fixed-time terminal-location coverage and anytime-valid target retention. At the final replan, when one control step remains, we bound the joint probability that a tightened-set DDTO plan passes nonlinear rollout verification but capture fails. The closed-loop controller applies fallback guidance to any agent without a verified DDTO plan and, across 100 paired scenarios, captures 79% of targets under the strict control-effort budget and 85% when that budget is relaxed.