INNOVATIVE AERODYNAMIC GUIDANCE/SENSOR CONCEPTS TO ENHANCE AIR-TO AIR MISSILE LAUNCH PERFORMANCE UNDER TRANSIENT/HIGH ANGLE OF ATTACK

MODERN CLOSE-IN AIR-TO-AIR COMBAT CAN BE CHARACTERIZED AS A "POINT AND SHOOT" ENVIRONMENT BECAUSE OF THE ALL-ASPECT IR MISSILE. SUCCESS IN AIR COMBAT DEPENDS TO A LARGE DEGREE ON THE ABILITY TO RAPIDLY POINT THE AIRCRAFT AT THE ADVERSARY AND LAUNCH A MISSILE. SUCH POINTING MANEUVERS MAY PRODUCE LARGE ANGLES OF ATTACK. CONTROLLED MANEUVERING WELL INTO THE POST STALL ANGLE OF ATTACK REGION, OR SUPERMANEUVERING, IS CURRENTLY BEING EVALUATED AS A TACTICAL OPTION. A MAJOR CONCERN OF OPERATIONAL PILOTS IS WHETHER THE MISSILES CAN BE EFFECTIVELY LAUNCHED UNDER THESE EXTREME CONDITIONS. CONSIDERABLE EVIDENCE INDICATES THAT MISSILES LAUNCHES AT THESE HIGH AOA'S MAY BREAK LOCK AFTER LAUNCH BECAUSE OF "TIP OFF", OR THE MISSILE ATTEMPTING TO ALIGN ITSELF WITH THE RELATIVE WIND. AN ABRUPT "TIP-OFF" MAY CAUSE THE SEEKER TO EXCEED THE MAXIMUM TRACKING RATE AND/OR THE GIMBAL LIMITS, BREAK THE LOCK WITH THE TARGET, AND CAUSE THE MISSILE TO GO "BLIND". MORE KNOWLEDGE IS NEEDED ABOUT THE TRUE CAPABILITIES OF CURRENT MISSILES AND THE TECHNOLOGIES REQUIRED TO MAKE THEM EFFECTIVE IN A SUPERMANEUVERING ENVIRONMENT. THIS PROPOSED WORK EFFORT IS A MISSILE SIMULATION STUDY DESIGNED TO DEFINE THE LAUNCH BOUNDARIES OF THE CURRENT MISSILE, DETERMINE THE DESIGN FEATURES WHICH LIMIT THE LAUNCH ENVELOPE, AND EVALUATE INNOVATIVE DESIGN CONCEPTS TO EXPAND THE LAUNCH ENVELOPE.