Optimal Guidance Law to Maximize Terminal Velocity for Missiles with Impact Angle Constraint

Abstract

In this paper, an optimal guidance law for missiles with impact angle and miss distance constraints is proposed to achieve the maximal terminal velocity. The normal acceleration command that includes the time-varying coefficients is introduced to satisfy the desired impact angle as well as zero miss distance according to the geometric relation and relative motion parameters between missile and target. The problem is formulated as an optimal control problem by defining the angle of velocity error and flight-path angle as state variables and maximizing a performance index of the terminal velocity. The analytical form of the proposed guidance law is obtained as the solution of the optimal control problem combining optimal control theory and numerical value computation method. Nonlinear simulations of various situations demonstrate the performance and feasibility of the proposed optimal guidance law.