Using Flight Control Gyros for Missile Navigation

Min-I James Chang

Abstract:	Any guided missiles always need the outputs of rate gyros to stabilize their flight control inner loops. Due to the high drift rate, 180o/hr, of Flight Control Gyros (FCGs), they can’t be used for missile navigation without external aiding. In this paper, the feasibility of using an integrated inertial navigation with Low Cost Flight Control Gyros (LCFCGs), Low Cost Accelerometers (LCAs) and high accurate aiding navigation sensors for missile guidance, navigation and control is investigated. For this purpose, an innovated transfer alignment Kalman filter that tightly integrates the LCFCGs and LCAs with high accurate navigation sensors is developed. The most important features of the innovated transfer alignment filter include: 1) It aligns the inertial platform of the LCFCGs rapidly. 2) It achieves 3 milli-radian attitude accuracy in 5 seconds of transfer alignment time, and achieves 1 milli-radian attitude accuracy in less than 1 minute of transfer alignment time. 3) It does not require S turn for azimuth alignment. 4) The azimuth error of the FCG platform can be estimated and corrected by the innovated transfer alignment Kalman filter regardless the dynamics of the host vehicle. 5) The innovated navigation system remains highly accurate during a short period (130 seconds) of GPS dropout. Covariance analysis has been conducted to demonstrate that the LCFCGs and LCAs can be used for missile guidance, navigation and control, if they are tightly integrated with highly accurate navigation sensors through the innovated transfer alignment Kalman filter.
Published in:	Proceedings of the 10th International Technical Meeting of the Satellite Division of The Institute of Navigation (ION GPS 1997) September 16 - 19, 1997 Kansas City, MO
Pages:	1711 - 1716
Cite this article:	Chang, Min-I James, "Using Flight Control Gyros for Missile Navigation," Proceedings of the 10th International Technical Meeting of the Satellite Division of The Institute of Navigation (ION GPS 1997), Kansas City, MO, September 1997, pp. 1711-1716.
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