Estimation of aircraft target motion using pattern recognition orientation measurements

A new approach to estimating motion of a highly maneuvering aircraft target in an air-to-air tracking scenario is presented. An interactive filter system is developed which provides an improved estimate of target motion states by conditioning kinematic filter estimates upon target aspect angle data. Pattern recognition techniques used with an electro-optical tracker are presumed to provide this target aspect information. A target orientation filter processes the aspect angle measurements by statistically weighting measured aspect angles with the current best estimate of target kinematics. The aerodynamic lift equation is used to relate approximate angle of attack to target velocity and acceleration. A novel statistical model for aircraft target normal acceleration is also developed to better represent unknown target accelerations. Simulation results of realistic three-dimensional scenarios are presented to evaluate the performance of the interactive filter system.