A direct multiple shooting for the optimal trajectory of missile guidance

The optimal solutions of air-to-surface missile using a direct multiple shooting are presented. The missile must attack a fixed target by a vertical dive. The missile guidance problem is reinterpreted using optimal control theory resulting in the formulation of minimum integrated altitude problem. The formulation entails nonlinear, 2-dimensional missile flight dynamics, boundary conditions and path constraints. The influence of the boundary conditions on the structure of the optimal solution and the performance index are investigated. The results are then interpreted from the operational and computational perspective.