Predictive guidance for interceptors with time lag in acceleration

Predictive guidance equations for systems with time delays are developed using optimal control theory to obtain interceptor steering gains. The time response of the interceptor is approximated by a linear first-order time lag, and the optimal steering gain is evaluated using a quadratic penalty function. The optimal control for interception is determined to be a linear function of the predicted position error and the acceleration error. Computer simulations demonstrate a significant improvement of interceptor performance.