Three-dimensional impact angle constrained MPSP guidance of air-to-air missiles

Three-dimensional impact angle constrained air-to-air missile guidance problem with third order autopilot in loop is investigated using model predictive static programming (MPSP). MPSP is inspired from the model predictive control and approximate dynamic programming philosophies. It inherently minimizes control (lateral acceleration) demand throughout the trajectory in addition to meeting the terminal hard constraint. Two different formulations are explored in this study. In one case MPSP is kept blind about existence of autopilot, where as in other case autopilot dynamics is incorporated explicitly in MPSP problem formulation. Terminal impact angle constraint along with required miss distance are posed as hard terminal constraint in the problem definition itself. It is observed from the extensive simulation studies that the proposed scheme performs better as compared to the classical proportional navigation guidance for intercepting moving and maneuvering targets in the air.