Estimation and Prediction of Ballistic Missile Trajectories - Softcover

Isaacson, Jeffrey A.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0833023764 ISBN 13: 9780833023766

Publisher: RAND Corporation, 1996

Synopsis

To examine the capabilities satellites can bring to bear in the theater missile defense (TMD) environment, the authors describe a methodology, based on Kalman filtering, for the estimation and prediction of ballistic missile trajectories and then apply the methodology to a notional theater ballistic missile.

About this title

From the Publisher

This report documents analysis originating from more comprehensive RAND research to establish an investment strategy for U.S. space systems and concepts of operation for countering critical mobile targets. The work was conducted within the Project AIR FORCE Force Modernization and Employment program, under the auspices of the C4I/Space project, for the Air Combat Command. The study describes an analytical tool useful in establishing figures of merit for satellites in a notional operation setting in which ballistic missile defenses are employed. A framework familiar to system designers pedagogically, and its utility in deriving operational implications is demonstrated for one interesting case. The U.S. Air Force and the Department of Defense, as well as others generally concerned with theater missile defense architectures and operational effectiveness analysis. PROJECT AIR FORCEProject AIR FORCE, a division of RAND, is the Air Force federally funded research and development center (FFRDC) for studies and analyses. It provides the Air Force with independent analyses of policy alternatives affecting the development. Employment, combat readiness, and support of current and future aerospace forces. Research is performed in three programs: Strategy, Doctrine, and Force Structure; Force Modernization and Employment; and Resource Management and System Acquisitions. Project AIR FORCE is celebrating 50 years of service to the United States Air Force in 1996. Project AIR FORCE began in March 1946 as Project RAND at Douglas Aircraft Company, under contract to the Army Air Forces. Two years later, the project's contract and personnel were separated from Douglas to form a new, private nonprofit institution to improve public policy through research and analysis for the public welfare and security of the United States-the foundation of what is known today as RAND.

About the Author

Jeffrey A. Isaacson (MIT PhD Theoretical Physics) is a senior physical scientist at Rand whose research interests include ballistic missile defense, conventional weapons proliferation, and longrange planning. David R. Vaughan (Ph.D., Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology) is a Research Scientist at Rand, Santa Monica, California. Research areas include Defense Systems, Strategic Weapon Systems, and Communications Systems.

Edition details

• Publisher: RAND Corporation
• Publication date: 1996
• ISBN 10: 0833023764
• ISBN 13: 9780833023766
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 98