A new algorithm to determine target position using distance measurements at different locations

The precise target location needs to be loaded before the airborne satellite-guided bomb launch from the aircraft for attacking the target accurately. In the traditional method, the laser range finder and the angle sensors of the optical pod/airborne radar were used to measure the relative distance and angle between the bomb and the target, and the target position can be calculated by these measurements. It is difficult to meet the requirement of high positioning accuracy when launching outside the enemy defense area because of the limited precision of the angle sensors. A new algorithm for target location using distance measurements at different locations is proposed to solve this problem. It is derived from the theoretical formulas, and least squares estimation and iterative method are used for calculation process. Based on this algorithm, only the laser range finder is needed and the angle sensors are not required. Simulation results for a typical example show that, the positioning accuracy for target at the range of 40 km is less than 3 m (CEP), and the convergence rate is fast enough. In addition, the accuracy and convergence rate of the algorithm can be improved by optimization of the aircraft flight path and selection of the positions for measurement.