Topography-aided guidance system and process

Abstract

In missile guidance systems, knowledge of the target's flight policy and doctrine, along with an analysis of local topographic features, are used in a minimum commitment guidance policy. By assuming certain objectives of the target, paths may be defined by evaluating the degree of detection avoidance provided by the terrain adjacent to the various paths. To maximize the probability of intercept, a missile may be guided in a direction covering the most likely of these paths for periods while the target is hidden. The paths are then reevaluated each time the target is detected. For highly maneuverable targets that are capable of executing violent changes in direction and speed, the topography-aided guidance system maximizes the probability that the target can escape the missile intercept envelope. The present invention relates to a topographay-aided missile guidance system that minimzes the probability that an airborne target can escape the missile's intercept envelope, where the minimization is over substantially all of the potential actions that the target may take.