Missile Guidance System Overview

Key Concepts

• Missile Positioning: The missile continuously calculates its position by determining where it is and where it is not.
• Deviation Calculation:
  • The position deviation is determined by subtracting where the missile is from where it isn't, or vice versa.
  • This calculation helps identify the difference, termed as deviation.

Guidance Subsystem Functionality

• Corrective Commands:
  • The guidance subsystem uses deviations to create corrective commands.
  • These commands adjust the missile's course from its current position to the desired position, aiming to reduce deviation.

Position Adjustment Process

• Arrival and Correction:
  • The missile arrives at a new position, formerly not occupied, thus changing where it is and where it isn't.
  • If the missile's current position is not where it wasn't intended to be, a variation is recognized.

Handling Variations

• Variation Handling:
  • Variations are the differences between where the missile currently is and where it wasn't.
  • If significant, these variations are corrected by the Guidance Analysis Algorithm (GAA).

Importance of Past Position

• Historical Position Knowledge:
  • The missile must recall its previous positions to calculate errors accurately.
  • Adjustments are made based on the historical data and current deviations.

Error Calculation

• Error Determination:
  • Errors arise from deviations and variations, calculated using algebraic sums of past and current positions.
  • The missile considers where it should be, wasn't, and shouldn't be to compute the overall error.