Trajectory design of a virtual target guidance scheme under side-looking detection conditions

Abstract The issue of asymmetric field-of-view constraints for a seeker head positioned in the side window of a hypersonic vehicle is addressed. A mathematical model of the seeker’s 3D field of view under side-window detection conditions is first established, along with process constraints. Based on this, the variation of the seeker’s field of view when attacking stationary targets is analyzed. To address the issue of the seeker losing the target in the terminal phase due to side window constraints, a novel guidance scheme is proposed by introducing a virtual target and planning a trajectory. While this scheme may reduce guidance performance, it ensures precise target hits while fully complying with side-window detection constraints, offering significant engineering potential and research value.