Optimal Cooperative Line-of-Sight Guidance for Defending a Guided Missile

This correspondence proposes an optimal cooperative guidance law for protecting a target from a guided missile. The linearized three-body kinematics using the line-of-sight (LOS) triangle concept is formulated, and a new concept called error distance is introduced. A generalized linear quadratic optimization problem is formulated in minimizing weighted energy consumption while regulating the error distance. The analytic guidance command is derived by solving the optimization problem formulated. The main feature of the proposed guidance law lies in that it helps reduce the maneuver capability demand of the defender. Extensive numerical simulations are carried out to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed solution.