Optimal stopping time guidance: deterministic and stochastic targets

This paper describes a missile guidance problem in which the objective is to guide an interceptor missile towards both deterministic and stochastic targets. We show how this guidance problem can be naturally posed within an optimal stopping time control framework (where both the control and time horizon are designed to optimize a performance index). We believe this to be the first time the missile guidance problem has been posed as an optimal stopping problem. Solutions to the optimal stopping guidance problem are obtained via dynamic programming principles; however, no closed form solutions are apparent. Numeric-solutions are obtained via the Markov chain numerical approximation procedure.