Missile guidance techniques

A unifying approach is proposed for the systematic investigation of missile guidance techniques in guidance law and information processing design. It is based on the consequent distinction between the well modelled kinematic world and the fuzzy real world together with the separation of the overall guidance problem in a steering problem and a feedback problem. The approach provides for insight in guidance law structures and information requirements as well as in the necessity and the potential benefit of applying modern control theory. Modern filtering and controller design techniques are reviewed for this purpose. The exemplified investigation of the two point and three point guidance principles shows the kinematic guidance law character of extended proportional navigation and of line-of-sight guidance and the possible improvement of system behavior by the application of modern control techniques.