Lockheed Martin Corporation

Thu-Van T Luu

Jeffrey Bruce Boka

Purusottam Mookerjee

Michael J Harcourt

A method, Kinematic Algorithm for Rocket Motor Apperception (KARMA), for processing radar returns for identifying the type of a missile target includes generating tracks representing the missile, and applying the tracks to a set of plural template-based filters, each representing one missile hypothesis, to generate plural sets of missile states, one set for each hypothesis. The missile states are processed to generate kinematic parameter likelihood values (LLHs). The LLH values for each filter hypothesis are normalized and weighted. A weighted maximum likelihood value (WMLH) is calculated for each hypothesis. The correct hypothesis is deemed to be the one having the maximum WMLH, thus identifying the missile type.

Kinematic algorithm for rocket motor apperception

A system senses the presence of a boosting missile or target and processes the information by comparison of the data with a plurality of predetermined templates of nominal missile characteristics, in order to determine the state of the missile. The processing includes estimation of burnout time and of early thrust termination. Both are determined by generating current stage state estimates including position, velocity, time index error into the thrust template, and motor scale factor error. The change in motor scale factor is compared with a threshold to determine if early thrust termination has occurred. The estimated burnout time of the current stage is calculated from the burnout times of the current and the previous stage processed with the estimated motor scale factor and with state estimates from a filter.

Burnout time estimation and early thrust termination determination for a boosting target

A method and a system for sensing a boosting target missile, estimate position and velocity and boost acceleration parameters of the target missile, and control an interceptor missile to the target missile. A boost-phase missile target state estimator estimates at least acceleration, velocity, and position using an acceleration template for the target vehicle. The nominal template is incorporated into an extended Kalman filter which corrects the nominal template acceleration with the filter states to predict future thrust acceleration, velocity and position. The correction can compensate for motor burn variations and missile energy management (lofted/depressed trajectory).

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Lumberton, NJ, United States of America

Thu-Van T Luu