Date of Award

3-1992

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science

Department

Department of Operational Sciences

First Advisor

Thomas F. Schuppe, PhD

Abstract

The Air Force has recently acquired two aircraft dedicated for cruise missile tracking. These aircraft, known as the Cruise Missile Mission Control Aircraft (CMMCA), are responsible for collecting data from the missile and United States. Due to tracking and positively controlling the missile during live fire testing over the western the limited tracking radar range and the flight characteristics of the CMMCA, tracking cruise missiles through complex maneuvers is not always possible. A FORTRAN optimization, based on flight simulation and optimal control theory, was written in a prior thesis effort in order to determine optimal CMMCA flight profiles for tracking cruise missiles through certain maneuvers. The primary emphasis of this research effort was to conduct an analysis of the previously written optimization program, and to make the appropriate modifications to improve the performance and efficiency of the program. The program was tested over several different missile flight paths, using a variety of different initial program conditions and input parameters, in order to find the program modifications and parameter settings that produced the best CMMCA flight profiles in response to the given cruise missile flight path.

AFIT Designator

AFIT-GOR-ENS-92M-13

DTIC Accession Number

ADA248183

Comments

The author's Vita page is omitted.

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