A nonlinear impact-angle guidance law

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to propose a new nonlinear guidance law to satisfy terminal impact-angle constraints against a stationary target in every possible planar surface-to-surface engagement scenario. The proposed guidance scheme is developed based on the geometry of a circular arc trajectory. The proposed guidance scheme is developed based on the geometry of circular arc trajectory. This trajectory is calculated based on the terminal impact angle and target range. The efficacy of the proposed guidance scheme is demonstrated through numerical simulations. The proposed scheme is compared with existing guidance schemes and relevant analysis is provided. Design/methodology/approach The paper develops a new nonlinear guidance law to satisfy terminal impact-angle constraints against a stationary target in every possible planar surface-to-surface engagement scenario. The proposed guidance scheme is developed based on the geometry of a circular arc trajectory. This guidance scheme is further extended to moving targets. Findings The proposed guidance intercepts a stationary target with a smooth lateral acceleration command, which is desirable for realistic implementation. The efficacy of the approach is demonstrated through numerical simulation. A comparative study with the existing algorithm is presented and it is shown that the proposed algorithm is better on many counts. Originality/value There are many approach exists in the literature for impact-angle guidance laws. The paper proposes a computationally efficient guidance law using geometric and kinematic properties. As the approach produces smooth command, it has a practical relevance. A comparative study shows superiority on some counts (miss distance, flight time, smoothness).