V2I12P24

Synthesis of Adaptive Proportional Navigation Guidance Laws for Air-to-Air Missiles Intercepting Maneuvering Targets in Modern Aerial Combat

Vu Hoai Nam^1*

Abstract

This paper presents a comprehensive synthesis of an adaptive proportional navigation (APN) guidance law designed for air-to-air missiles intercepting highly maneuvering targets in modern aerial combat. Classical proportional navigation (PN) remains the standard guidance approach due to its simplicity and real-time suitability; however, its performance significantly degrades when facing agile aircraft capable of high-g evasive maneuvers and advanced countermeasure tactics. To enhance interception robustness, an adaptive augmentation mechanism is introduced to compensate for unknown target acceleration and modeling uncertainties. The proposed APN guidance integrates model-reference adaptive control (MRAC) and Lyapunov-based adaptation to estimate and counteract fast-varying target maneuvers. A nonlinear missile–target engagement model is developed, and the stability of the adaptive guidance law is analytically proven. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed method substantially reduces miss distance, maintains LOS convergence under high-g engagements, and improves interception probability compared to classical PN and fixed-gain APN. The findings highlight the effectiveness of adaptive PN guidance for next-generation air-to-air missile systems.

Keywords:

air-to-air missile, proportional navigation, adaptive control, high-maneuver target, aerial combat, guidance law