Trade-off Study for the Hit-to-kill Interception of Ballistic Missiles in the Boost Phase

摘要

In recent conflicts, ballistic missiles have been used to achieve military and psychological objectives. With the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD), the threat of ballistic missiles as delivery platform for WMD is of concern. Defense against such threats becomes important. There are different guidance laws, like pursuit and proportional navigation (PN), for the missile interception of aerial targets. A new guidance algorithm was developed by John A. Lukacs and Prof Yakimenko in 2006 to demonstrate the feasibility of intercepting a ballistic missile during the boost phase. This trajectory-shaping guidance algorithm uses the direct method of calculus of variations that maximizes the kinetic energy transfer from the interceptor to the target. A study was conducted by applying this guidance law and examining the trade-off between the various critical parameters, like intercept geometry, time, altitude and trajectory, in the optimized solution. It provides insights into the feasibility and limitations of this guidance. A literature review of the drag model and comparison with the compensated PN guidance was also conducted. A new induced drag model was developed for future studies. The results verified that the trajectory-shaping guidance is feasible for the interception of ballistic missiles in the boost phase for a wide range of interceptor launch locations with respect to a ballistic missile detection point.