Performance of a fire-and-forget anti-tank missile with a damaged wing

A mathematical model is developed for an anti-tank missile and its guidance algorithms. The aerodynamic model is separated into two parts, the airframe and external lifting surfaces in order to model damage to the airframe. Radar data is compared to that of the proposed model and it is shown that the model accurately replicates the true flight dynamics. Two types of field handling damage are modeled, a damaged mid-body wing with 50% of its planform area missing, and an un-deployed mid-body wing. Monte Carlo simulations are performed for each type of damage and the eight possible mid-body wing locations. The results predict that the anti-tank guided missile’s performance in response to damage is extremely sensitive to the radial location of damage. Vertical mid-body wing damage had little effect on performance while damage to horizontal and adjacent midbody wings resulted in significant failures. The failure mode demonstrated was not a large increase in impact errors, but rather failure of the seeker used for guidance due to excessive roll and yawing of the airframe. © 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.