A New Optimal Guidance Law for Air-to-Air Missiles against Evasive Targets

Abstract

A new optimal guidance law (OPG) for air-to-air missiles, based on the design concept of decreasing the acceleration requirement commanded in the final phase of engagement, is presented. The closed-form solution of the OPG is derived analytically from the time-varying linear state equations composed of the line-of-sight angle and line-of-sight rate. The optimal proportional navigation law and augmented proportional navigation law, where both the navigation constants are 3, have been proven to be simplified versions of the OPG. The performance of the OPG is evaluated and compared with that of the true proportional navigation law (TPN) and augmented proportional navigation law (APN) in terms of the miss distance, interception time and energy expenditure.