The impact of seeker angular resolution on the miss distance of tactical missiles

Abstract

This paper models the engagement between a tactical missile and dual targets. The model provides the information necessary to assess the impact on the engagement of the resolution constraints of the missile seeker, the acceleration constraints of the missile and aircraft, and the response times of the missile flight control system. An analytical study is first performed using a simplified problem amenable to exact solution, The exact results show that the miss distance between the missile and the resolved target depends on the missile acceleration limits, time lag, navigation gain, and target acceleration. These expressions allow interpretation of a nonlinear simulation that account for these effects. Based on the results of the nonlinear simulation, there is a maximum beam width above which relatively large miss distances occur. Increasing the missile response time, decreasing the acceleration limit, shallower intercept angles, and increased target acceleration require a narrower beam for a given miss distance. Introduction In engagements between a tactical missile and a target aircraft, an apparent shift in target position can produce unacceptable miss distances. This instantaneous shift in position can occur with multiple targets or combinations of targets and decoys. For example, flares ejected from the target aircraft attempt to divert an infrared missile seeker towards the flare and away from the aircraft. If at some point the seeker discriminates between the flare and the target, the seekers issues a step change in target position to the flight control system to alter the trajectory for intercept with the target aircraft. Not only must the seeker have sufficient angular resolution, but the missile flight control system must also provide sufficient lateral acceleration to correct its trajectory and intercept the target. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the general problem of the engagement of a tactical missile against two targets subject to the resolution constraints of the missile seeker, the acceleration constraints of the mis’ Senior Research Engineer, Senior Member AIAA, Phone: 404-8947481, FAX: 404-894-0702. email: bill.bell@gtri.gatech.edu + Senior Research Scientist Copyright