OPTIMAL MIDCOURSE GUIDANCE FOR MEDIUM-RANGE AIR-TO-AIR MISSILES

An advanced midcourse guidance law for medium-range air-to-air missiles is proposed. The law consists of two different guidance modes: the final velocity maximum or the final time minimum, depending on the initial missile-target geometry. The former is preferable against a highly maneuverable target at a great distance, whereas the latter is demanded against a near target. This midcourse guidance law is combined with augmented proportional navigation in the homing phase. Performance is evaluated by computer simulations against conventional and advanced targets. The results show that the proposed guidance law is far superior to the guidance law that employs only augmented proportional navigation throughout the interception course, in regard to extending the launch boundaries or minimizing the interception time. © 1990 American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Inc., All rights reserved.