An iterative mass-to-drag ratio estimation method for ballistic targets

Abstract

Ballistic target tracking and identification is a key task for missile defense systems. A vital problem in target track and recognition is how to estimate the target mass-to-drag ratio fast and accurately. Based on the constraints of energy conservation, this paper proposes an iterative mass-to-drag ratio estimation method. This algorithm first estimates the position and velocity of the target using unscented Kalman filter, and then estimates the mass-to-drag ratio of the target by using energy conservation. By iterating, the final value is outputted. The simulation results show that this method can estimate the mass-to-drag ratio of the target at a high altitude, which provides a precise way for mass-to-drag ratio estimation.