Integrated Design of Agile Missile Guidance and Autopilot Systems

By P. K. Menon and E. J. Ohlmeyer Abstract Recent threat assessments by the US Navy have indicated the need for improving the accuracy of defensive missiles. This objective can only be achieved by enhancing the performance of the missile subsystems and by finding methods to exploit the synergism existing between subsystems. As a first step towards the development of integrated design methodologies, this paper develops a technique for integrated design of missile guidance and autopilot systems. Traditional approach for the design of missile guidance and autopilot systems has been to design these subsystems separately and then to integrate them together before verifying their performance. Such an approach does not exploit any beneficial relationships between these and other subsystems. The application of the feedback linearization technique for integrated guidance-autopilot system design is discussed in this paper. Numerical results using a six degree-of-freedom missile simulation are given. Integrated guidance-autopilot systems are expected to result in significant improvements in missile performance, leading to lower weight and enhanced lethality. Both of these factors will lead to a more effective, lower-cost weapon system. Integrated system design methods developed under the present research effort also have extensive applications in high performance aircraft autopilot and guidance systems.