Intercepting maneuvering target with specified terminal engagement geometry using variable structure guidance law

A guidance law derived by variable structure theory, to enable the imposition of a predetermined terminal engagement geometry to a maneuvering target, is presented in this paper. The interceptor assumed to have no knowledge about the maneuver type of the target is executing. The guidance law has the ability to simultaneously achieve design specifications on the miss distance and the final interceptor-target relative orientation. The latter specification may be used to enhance the performance of warhead, whose effectiveness is influenced by the terminal encounter geometry between interceptor and target. The guidance law is parameterized with the terminal conditions of miss distance and terminal encounter angle. The performance of the proposed guidance law is demonstrated by the simulation results.