Linear quadratic minimum-effort, specify-performance approach to missile guidance

A generic guidance design framework is proposed that is based on the idea of minimizing the guidance effort expressed as the quadratic integral of the guidance command and imposing performance constraints on various trajectory parameters at arbitrary points in time during the flight. This framework extends previous work on guidance algorithms for active aerial defense and for obstacle avoidance. Using some concrete examples it is shown that the proposed framework is flexible enough to tackle interesting guidance problems related to multiple targets scenarios. It is also shown that the same framework offers a practical solution for the optimal intercept guidance problem with constraints on the lateral missile acceleration.