Three-Dimensional Discrete Observability Analysis for Air-to-Air Missile Target Tracking

The interception information of infrared (IR)-guided air-to-air missiles (AAM) is mainly estimated only using the basic bearing measurements. In order to intercept highly maneuverable targets, it is essential to study the system observability to improve the target tracking system performance. The uniqueness of this paper is that the observability analysis is derived based on a discrete three-dimensional(3D) system model. During the maneuvering scenario, the system is approximated by a segment-by-segment system. The relationship between missile-target motion and observability is given by direct and dual approaches. Meanwhile sufficient observability conditions are derived. Moreover, a numerical simulation is conducted and an alternate method is provided to reinforce the proposed observability analysis results.