The analysis of the anti-aircraft missile flight

controlled with gyroscopic system

Cite as: AIP Conference Proceedings 2077, 020054 (2019); https://doi.org/10.1063/1.5091915
Published Online: 21 February 2019

Konrad Stefanski

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© 2019 Author(s).
 The Analysis of the Anti-aircraft Missile Flight Controlled
with Gyroscopic System
Konrad Stefanski1,a
1
Kielce University of Technology, Faculty of Mechatronics and Mechanical Engineering,
Tysiąclecia Państwa Polskiego 7 Av., 25-314 Kielce, Poland
a)
Corresponding author: kstefanski@tu.kielce.pl

Abstract. The paper considers the possibility of using an actuator for controlling the flight of an anti-aircraft missile
(AAM), in the form of a fast rotating rotor suspended on a joint in its body. Forced changes in the rotor (gyroscope) axis
position angle in relation to the body axis of the AAM generate moments of forces that change the missile flight direction
and guide it to a moving target. The mentioned system could be applied to combat low-flying and fast-moving targets.
The analysis was only applied to motion in a vertical plane, and the selected digital simulation results were graphically
presented.

INTRODUCTION
One of the most important problems in the analysis of anti-aircraft missile guidance systems is the choice of
a method for guidance of the AAM to the point of meeting the target. It is equivalent to the choice of a missile flight
trajectory determined by the so-called guidance algorithm, i.e. equation describing the bonds imposed on its
movement. It is possible to theoretically formulate infinitely many such algorithms. However, among them, it is
important to choose those that meet a number of additional, necessary conditions, such as: minimum overload,
minimum power demand, ease of the guidance algorithm implementation, etc. In general, the guidance algorithm
formulation is a very complex task, most often possible to be solved only with digital methods. It is affected only by
complex equations of the AAM flight dynamics, control circuit dynamics, as well as the dynamics of control
actuators and others. The paper attempts to analyze one of the possibilities of the anti-aircraft missile flight control
with a method similar to the one suggested in the patent solution [1] and then developed in the paper [2] (Fig. 1).

(a) (b)
FIGURE 1. Solutions for anti-aircraft artillery bullets, launched from the rifled barrel: a) bullet during the motion phase in the
rifled barrel, b) bullet after leaving the rifled barrel [1, 2].

Scientific Session on Applied Mechanics X

AIP Conf. Proc. 2077, 020054-1–020054-8; https://doi.org/10.1063/1.5091915
Published by AIP Publishing. 978-0-7354-1805-9/$30.00

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 DESCRIPTION OF THE MISSILE CONTROL ACTUATING PART USING THE
ROTOR PLACED INSIDE ITS BODY

Inside the missile, there is a massive rotor (Fig. 2), suspended on a Cardan joint. Before firing, this rotor is set in
rotary motion in relation to the AAM body, with the use of an electric motor powered from the outside.
The missile flight control is carried out by the impact of four actuators on the rotor suspension These actuators,
e.g. pneumatic ones powered by gas generators, are placed in pairs in two mutually perpendicular planes. They are
run by the autopilot receiving radio signals on the current location of the missile and target in relation to the Earth
and they change the rotator axis position in relation to the missile body, which results in the situation that this rotor
adopts the gyroscope features. The change in this gyroscope axis position direction, caused by actuators, is
accompanied by the creation of moments of the gyroscope forces acting on the AAM body, which results in the
appropriate change of its angle of attack, and hence, its flight direction. The general diagram presenting the
proposed missile elements is demonstrated in Fig. 2.

FIGURE 2. General diagram of elements of the proposed guided missile.

The specificity of this control involves the fact that the missile movement is to be changed only by means of the
impact of the moments of forces. In this case, the AAM is not equipped with aerodynamic or gas-dynamic rudders.
Therefore, there will be no lateral forces acting on the missile body. Before firing the AAM, the rotor is accelerated
by the electric motor to a certain speed, after which the motor is disconnected, and the rotor still rotates in a free
movement (it is enough for a dozen seconds-lasting missile flight).

MATHEMATICAL MODEL OF THE MISSILE GUIDANCE PROCESS

Fig. 3 presents coordinate systems and angles of their rotation adopted to derive the missile flight dynamics
equations [3, 4], and Fig. 4 shows the forces having impact on it during the flight.

FIGURE 3. Coordinate systems and rotation angles.

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 FIGURE 4. Forces affecting the missile.

The following symbols are used:  , α – attack angle and sideslip angle [rad]; ξ , Ι , ι – pitch angle, yaw angle
and roll angle of the missile [rad]; φ , β – flight-path angle in vertical plane and horizontal plane – pitch angle and
yaw angle of missile velocity vector [rad], Sωγψ – coordinate system for the missile; Sxyz – velocity coordinate
υ
system; Sxg' y 'g z 'g – coordinate system with the missile as an origin, parallel with the starting system; V – missile
υ υ υ θ
velocity; P – thrust; A – resultant of aerodynamic forces; G – gravitational force; M – aerodynamic forces
moment.
The missile flight and gyroscope axis equations were presented in a simplified form involving the adoption of
a stationary airflow and low angular speeds of the gyroscope basis, and also the assumption that the AAM is a rigid
body ∋ι < 0( not rotating around its own longitudinal axis ∋ι < 0( , with a constant mass, which completely
corresponds to the anti-aircraft missile flights. In addition, in simple terms, it was adopted that an aerodynamic
pressure center coincides with the missile mass center. The aim of considerations is only to find out whether the
proposed actuator of controlling the AAM z with the use of the force moments, without the impact of force
transverse to the missile axis, is effective. Equations of motion are described with the relationships (1a-h) [5, 6].

P
V% < cos  cos α , g sin φ cos β , κ xV 2 (1a)
m
P
Vφ% cos β < sin  cos α , g cos φ ∗ κ yV 2 (1b)
m
P
, Vβ% < , sin α , g sin φ sin β ∗ κ zV 2 α (1c)
m
∑ J ok ⌡ V2 M
ϖ% ψ ∗  , 1ϖγ ϖω < , D1  , D2V% , D3VΙ% ∗ cψ (1d)
 Jk  L Jk
∑J ⌡ V2 M cγ
ϖ%γ ,  ok , 1ϖω ϖω < , D1 α , D2Vα% , D3Vξ% ∗ (1e)
 Jk  L Jk
ϖ < ,Ι% sinξ , ϖ < ξ% , ϖ < Ι% cosξ , κ < κ
ω γ ψ y z (1f)
Κx Κy Κ Cl
κx < , κy < , κ z < z , D1,2,3 < i (1g)
m m m Jk
θ θ θ
Κ x < cx S x , Κ y < c y S y , Κz < c z S z (1h)
2 2 2

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where: V – missile velocity [m/s]; l – length of the missile body [m]; θ – air density [kg/m3]; S x – cross-sectional
area of the missile [m2]; S y , S z – lifting and drifting area [m2]; m – mass of the missile [kg]; J k , J ok – moments of
inertia of the missile in relation to its transverse axes and longitudinal axis [kgm2]; g – acceleration of gravity
[m/s2]; κx , κ y , κz , D1,2,3 – relative aerodynamic coefficients of aerodynamic forces and moments [1/m] [7];
c x , c y , Ci – coefficients of aerodynamic forces and of moments of aerodynamic forces; M cγ , M cψ – missile flight
control moments [Nm].
Since the paper only considers the movement in the vertical plane ( ξ < 0 , β < 0 , α < 0 ) a group of equations
(1) will be reduced to the below form.

V% < , g sin φ , κ xV 2 (2a)

1∑ Qy ⌡
φ% <  
 m , g cos φ  ∗ κ yV (2b)
V 
∑ V ⌡ M cψ
Ι%% < V  , D1  , D2% , D3Ι%  ∗ (2c)
 l  Jk

The motion equations of the rotor’s axis rotations, that is the main gyroscope axis (Fig. 5) for small angles of its
pitch and yaw (the so-called technical gyroscope theory) are described by the equations (3) [8, 9].

FIGURE 5. The diagram of a gyroscope suspended on the Cardan joint.

∋ (
J B Ι%%g ∗ Ι%% ∗ c BΙ% g , J 0 nξ% g < M cψ (3a)
∋ (
J Bξ%% g ∗ cCξ% g ∗ J 0 n Ι% g , Ι% < 0 (3b)

where: Ι g , ξ g – pitch and yaw angles of rotor axis [rad]; c B , cC – coefficient of viscous friction in the gimbal
bearings [Nms]; n – rotational speed of the rotor [1/s]; J 0 – moment of inertia of the rotor in relation to its rotation
axis [kgm2]; J B – moment of inertia of the rotor in relation of the lateral axis running through the centre mass
[kgm2].
The control moment M cψ must be formulated on the basis of the adopted homing or remote homing algorithm.
By having the knowledge of its values, with the use of the equations (3), it is possible to determine the angles

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Ι g and ξ g that should be forced by the actuators, in order to carry out the guidance actuating part. In this paper,
a 1 st type remote guidance method was used. It involves the application of a scheduled flight trajectory determined
by the algorithm automatically adjusting to the current angular position of the target and the measurement of the
actual angular position of the missile. The difference in these positions is taken as the control deviation. The control
moment M cψ was determined with the use of the P type controller (4) [10].

M cψ < k P δ ; δ < Ι d , Ι (4)

where: k P – proportional gain; Ιd – desired angle of the missile position relative to the Earth [rad].
In order to determine the Ι d angle, a half straightening algorithm of the trajectory was applied (5) [7, 11]. Its
diagram is presented in Fig. 6.

FIGURE 6. The diagram of the algorithms for trajectory strightening.

Ι%t ∋rt , rm (
Ι d < Ιt , 0.5 (5)
r%t , r%m

where: Ιt – angle of the target position relative to the Earth [rad]; rm – distance between the missile and the
guidance point [m]; rt – distance between the target and the guidance point [m]; Vt – target velocity [m/s]; xm , y m –
missile position; xt , yt – target velocity.
It is also necessary to check the values of a kinematic transverse load factor affecting the AAM during the flight.
It will be calculated on the basis of the relationship (6).

∑ V dφ ⌡
n y < , ∗ cos φ  (6)
 g dt 

NUMERICAL SIMULATION RESULTS

The digital simulations of the missile guidance with the use of the controlled high-strength gyroscope were
carried out for the hypothetical AAM attacking a target moving in a straight line from the front hemisphere. It was
adopted that the movement took place in the vertical plane. The following numerical values were used:
∂ starting missile position: x m 0 = 0 [m], y m 0 = 0 [m];
∂ starting target position: xt 0 = 5000 [m], y t 0 = 3000 [m];
∂ angle of a missile launch: φ 0 = 30.96 [deg];
∂ starting pitch angle of a target velocity vector: φ t 0 = 180 [deg];

020054-5
∂ starting missile velocity: V0 = 20 [m/s];
∂ target velocity: Vt = const = 300 [m/s];
∂ length of missile body: l = 1.6 [m];
∂ mass of missile: m = 10.8 [kg];
∂ moments of inertia of the missile in relation to its transversal axis: J k = 2.4 [kgm2];
∂ moments of inertia of the missile in relation to its longitudinal axis: J ok = 0.018 [kgm2];
∂ relative aerodynamic coefficients of aerodynamic forces and moments: κ x = 0.000171; κ y = 0.0051 [1/m];
D1 = 0.081, D2 = 0.0821, D3 = 0.00041 [1/m];
∂ moment of inertia of the rotor in relation to lateral axis running through the centre mass: J B = 0.0132
[kgm2];
∂ moment of inertia of the rotor in relation to its rotation axis [kgm2]: J 0 = 0.00754 [kgm2];
∂ coefficient of viscous friction in a gimbal bearings: c B < cC = 0.05 [Nms];
∂ rotational speed of the rotor: n = 1610 [1/s];
∂ thrust: P < 3150 [N] for t ; =1 [s] and P < 700 [N] for t = 1 [s] where t – time.
Graphical presentation of the results is shown in figures 7-14.

FIGURE 7. The missile and target flight-paths. FIGURE 8. The angles of attack.

FIGURE 9. Values of control moments required FIGURE 10. Pitch angles of rotor axis
for homing the missile on the target. .

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 FIGURE 11. Flight velocity of the missile. FIGURE 12. Angle of missile flight-path.

FIGURE 13. Values of control deviation. FIGURE 14. Kinematics lateral overload acting
on the missile.

CONCLUSIONS
The way of operation of the actuator controlling the missile flight in accordance with the patent solution [1] is
undoubtedly original. In this solution, there is no control force. The guidance is implemented only by the force
moment. However, it has some advantages, e.g. the rotor can be placed anywhere in the missile because the
operation of the force pairs does not depend on its position.
The above results indicate that the use of the proposed solution for guidance of the AAM is real. The missile
reached the target after the time of t < 9.55 [s]. The changes in the angle values of the rotator axis position achieve
very low values and they are possible to be implemented. The control moment values are also acceptable. However,
∋ (
great oscillations  , M cψ , δ are visible in the first second of the flight during the booster operation (great thrust). It
is important to consider the way of reducing this phenomenon. In case of greater errors of the initial AAM targeting,
in order to guide it to the target, greater values of the control moment M cψ are needed, which may prove to be
technically achievable and it should be checked. Of course, the paper shows only a special case of the flight and the
digital simulation results, when the target and missile move in a common vertical plane. In the future, it is important
to extend the AAM flight analysis with the use of the remote guidance method to the target attack cases in space.
The drawback of this solution is the fact that the rotor dimensions are limited in relation to its mass. This mass
must be relatively large in order to cause the larger control force moments with the use of minor angle changes of
the rotor axis. The rotor should be made of a high-density material, e.g. of tungsten or depleted uranium. However, it
will cause the AAM mass increase. In order to reduce it, it is crucial to consider the creation of some of its elements
made of lighter materials of equivalent strength [12, 13].

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