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

In recent military conflicts, ballistic missiles have been used to achieve military and psychological objectives. With the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD), the growing threat of ballistic missiles being used as a delivery platform for WMD by rogue nations or militant groups becomes a concern for many countries. Defense against such threats becomes increasingly important. There are different guidance laws for the missile interception of aerial targets. These include pursuit, proportional navigation (PN) guidance as well as its variants. A new guidance algorithm was developed by John A. Lukacs IV and Prof Yakimenko in 2006 to intercept a ballistic missile during the boost phase by a missile interceptor. This TS guidance algorithm uses the direct method of calculus of variations that maximizes the kinetic energy transfer from a surface-launched missile to a ballistic missile target. A trade-off study was conducted by applying this guidance law in simulated ballistic missile interception. This study examines the interactions and trade-offs between the various critical parameters in the intercept solution, like the endgame intercept geometry, time-to-intercept and intercept altitude. It provides insights into the feasibility and limitations of the TS guidance algorithm. A literature review of the drag model used in the algorithm and comparison of the new guidance 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. A better understanding of the trade-offs between the key parameters allows users to optimize the performance of this guidance.