MDTS 5705 : Guidance

Lecture 1 : Guidance System Requirements

Gerard Leng, MDTS, NUS

Course Admin
Instructor

Gerard Leng

Office

E2 -02 - 37

Contact

phone 6 874 6548

fax
6 779 1459
e-mail mpelsb@nus.edu.sg

Consultation

Mon-Fri 12-2pm (happy hour)

Course Website

dynlab.mpe.nus.edu.sg/mpelsb

Gerard Leng, MDTS, NUS

Course Outline
Course Organisation
4 lectures/tutorial
Topics
1 : Guidance System Requirements

2 : Line-of-sight Guidance
3 : Homing Guidance
4 : INS/GPS Guidance

Gerard Leng, MDTS, NUS

Course Objectives & Requirements

1. Understand theoretical guidance concepts
2. Relate these concepts to practical weapon systems

Required Background
Basic engineering or science degree
( calculus, differential equations, particle dynamics )

Some programming experience ( eg : Matlab )

Gerard Leng, MDTS, NUS

Text
E. Fleeman, Tactical Missile Design, AIAA, 2006

Recommended references
P. Zarchan, Tactical and Strategic Missile Guidance , AIAA Progress in
Astronautics & Aeronautics, v239, (6th edition), 2012

P. Garnell & D.J. East, Guided Weapon Control Systems, Pergamon

Press, 1977
A.S. Locke, Guidance, Principles of Guided Missile Design, van
Nostrand, 1955
Gerard Leng, MDTS, NUS

Grading Policy
Proposed grading - Plan A
Project

40%

Final Exam

60%

Gerard Leng, MDTS, NUS

1.0 What is a guided weapon ?

Guided Weapon

Sensors (Eyes & Ears)

Guidance Logic (Brain)

Control & Propulsion (Muscles)

Warhead

In other words .
A guided weapon is a weapon system that can

correct its course to hit a target

Gerard Leng, MDTS, NUS

Example : The earliest guided bomb

WWII German Fritz X

Specifications
Weight
Wing span
Guidance
Range

1300 kg, 270 kg AP warhead

1.6 m
joy stick, radio link
5.6 km
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Example : The earliest guided missile

WWII German HS 293

Specifications
Launch weight
Wing span
Guidance
Propulsion
Range

1045kg, 295 kg HE warhead

3.10m
joy stick, radio/wire link
rocket
18 km
Gerard Leng, MDTS, NUS

Question : What can we observe & conclude from

these early guided weapons ?
A guided weapon doesnt have to be really high-tech or even
autonomous
So can we build one with commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS)
components ?

Gerard Leng, MDTS, NUS

1. 1 Mission profile of guided weapons

1.1.0 Guided weapons with different missions
Anti Tank Guided Missile

ATGM

Air to Ground Missile

AGM

Anti-Ship Missile

ASM

Surface to Air Missile

SAM

Air Interdiction, Air-to-Air Missile

AIM, AAM

Anti-Missile Missile

AMM

Unmanned Combat Air Vehicles

UCAV

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1.1.1 Anti-Tank Missile Mission Profile

Question :Is a direct head on impact the most effective way for an ATGM
to destroy a tank ?

1. missile aligned with tank

2. head -on impact on the front hull

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What is the best way to destroy a tank ?

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Russian MBT T-72

Basic protection : 520mm - 590mm turret armour against HEAT

Main armament : 125-mm gun with range of 2000 m
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Question : Where should the ATGM hit ?

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ATGM flight trajectories

1. Direct - Milan

2. Elevated - Hellfire

3. Arched - Javelin
Whats this ?

Gerard Leng, MDTS, NUS

1.1.2 Anti-tank missile guidance requirements

1. Additional protection eg : ERA (explosive reactive armour)

2. Attack armoured targets at the weakest point (top armour)

3. Guidance design implications :

Gerard Leng, MDTS, NUS

1.2 What is the best way to destroy a ship ?

1.2.0 Warships can detect and defend against in-coming missiles
A : detection & launch
B : align with intercept plane
C : intercept course
D : target neutralised

Gerard Leng, MDTS, NUS

1.2.1 Anti Ship Missile Mission Profile

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1.2.2 Anti-ship missile guidance requirements

More complicated guidance design for different phases of mission

launch

dive/climb

mid-course

altitude hold

tactical maneuvers

terminal

pop-up

Gerard Leng, MDTS, NUS

1.3 How to destroy an in-coming missile ?

1.3.0 Problems
Target can be as fast as your missile
Target may approach from any direction
Target can perform evasive maneuvers

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1.3.1 Anti-Missile Missile Mission Profile

Gerard Leng, MDTS, NUS

1.3.2 AMM guidance requirements

Vertical launch to optimal altitude

Tip-over to correct plane for interception

Mid course guidance to close with target.
Terminal guidance to counter evasive maneuvers

Gerard Leng, MDTS, NUS

1.4 What are the guidance requirements for a UCAV

or a cruise missile ?

X45

X47

Hint : What kind of targets are suitable for UCAV or cruise missiles ?
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1.4.1 UCAV/Cruise Missile Mission Profile

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1.4.2 Cruise missile, UCAV guidance requirements

1. Long range, low-level terrain hugging flight

2. Best used against large stationary targets

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1.5 The First Lesson of Guidance System Design

The design of the guidance system must suit the

mission profile and must function within the
limits of available sensors and controls
To paraphrase Sun Tzes Art of War

Know your guided weapon, know your target.

In a 100 firings, you get a 100 hits (or close)
Gerard Leng, MDTS, NUS

1.6 Basic Trajectory Analysis

V

1.6.0 Kinematics
g

J
a
X

(1) Position of P

R cosq

R sinq

(2) Velocity of P
Y
q

V cosg

V sing

I
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1.6.1 Turn rate and latax

1. Differentiate eqns (1)
X

cosq

-sinq

sinq

cosq

Rq

2. Substitute eqns (2)

Vcosg
Vsing

cosq

-sinq

sinq

cosq

Rq

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Inverting
R
R q

=
=

V cos(g - q )
V sin(g - q )

3. Conclusions :
a) The velocity component parallel to OP affects the rate of change of
OP
b) The velocity component perpendicular to OP affects the rotation rate
of OP

Gerard Leng, MDTS, NUS

4. From the diagram, the lateral acceleration a = a { -sin g, cos g }

Differentiate eqns (2),
X
Y

cosg

-sing

sing

cosg

Vg

5. Noting that the LHS is the lateral acceleration a

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We obtain
V

Vg

6. Conclusion
The (applied) lateral acceleration (latax) changes the turn rate but not
the speed

Gerard Leng, MDTS, NUS

Exercise : Getting a physical feel for the math

A fighter aircraft flying at 180 m/s (Mach 0.6) executes a 9g turn.
What is the turn rate ?

Noting that

Hence

Vg

mVg

ma

=
=
=

=
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9 mg

Exercise : Estimating performance Aster 30 AMM

Reported : Dec 1997 test firing
of the Aster 30 AMM
Intercepted target from above
at Mach 2.68
miss distance < 4 m
max load =

60 gs

Whats the turn rate ?

max turn rate =
=
Gerard Leng, MDTS, NUS