Open-loop guidance for pre-launch maneuvering in medium-range air combat

The bicriterion game concept is used to model the objectives of hit and survival in air combat with missiles. The approach not only yields the qualitative solution of the game (winning zones), but also defines a set of optimal open-loop controls for each initial state (Pareto-optimal security strategies, POSS). In this application the two components of the vector criterion essentially consist of the predicted miss distances resulting from missile firings of one aircraft against the other. They are evaluated by missile/target simulations with fixed strategies for both vehicles. Each of the POSSs associated with a particular initial state yields a maximum of missile effectiveness while maintaining a prescribed safety margin. The actual choice of one of the POSSs for guidance depends on the risk a pilot is willing to take. Computationally a POSS is approximated by the solution of an optimal control problem. Results with an F4 aircraft model and a generic missile model are presented. A comparison with a related concept, the combat game, is outlined.<>