Missile Guidance and Control Systems

Airborne Vehicle Guidance and Control Systems is a broad and wide- angled engineering and technological area for research, and continues to be important not only in military defense systems but also in industrial process control and in commercial transportation networks such as various Global Positioning Systems (GPS). The book fills a long-standing gap in the literature. The author is retired from the Air Force Institute and received the Air Force's Outstanding Civilian Career Service Award.

Though originally inspired by military applications, the advent of missile guidance and control systems has led to applications in a variety of fields -- in robotics, industrial process control, and in commercial transportation networks such as Global Positioning System technology. This book offers a comprehensive and up-to-date account of the technology behind tactical and strategic missiles and the guidance, control, and instrumentation required to reach a given "target."

Topics covered include: missile aerodynamic forces and moments, the missile mathematical model, weapon delivery, GPS (Global Positioning System) and TERCOM (terrain contour matching) guidance, cruise missile mechanization equations, and a detailed analysis of ballistic missile guidance laws.

The presentation assumes familiarity with calculus, ordinary differential equations, and some knowledge of modern control theory. The text is replete wuith practical examples designed to illustrate important concepts. This book will be an essential resource for students of aeronautical/aerospace engineering, as well as practicing engineers involved in the design, development, and analysis of modern aerospace guidance and control systems.