Second-Order Optimal Line-of-Sight Guidance for Stationary Targets

In this paper, an explicit optimal line-of-sight guidance law for second-order binomial control systems is derived in closed-loop without acceleration limit. The problem geometry is assumed in one dimension and the final time and final position are fixed. The formulation is normalized in three forms to give more insight into the design and performance analysis of the guidance law. The computational burdun of the guidance law is reasonable for now-a-day microprocessors; however curve fitting or look-up table may be used for the implementation of the second-order optimal guidance law. The performance of the second-order optimal guidance law is compared in normalized forms with zero-lag and first-order optimal guidance laws using third-, fourth-, and sixth-order binomial control systems with/without acceleration limit. Moreover, the effect of the final time, the equivalent time constant of the vehicle control system, the vehicle-to-target line-of-sight weighting factor in cost function, and acceleration limit are investigated. Normalized miss distance analysis shows that the miss distance of the second-order guidance law is smaller than the two mentioned schemes for small total flight times, especially with large maneuvering capability.