Reliability evaluation of radar seekers based on accelerated laboratory testing

As the critical sensing component of a missile, the radar seeker plays a decisive role in ensuring accurate target engagement. However, due to the high cost of missile systems, real-flight testing imposes significant constraints, including extensive preparation cycles and substantial resource consumption. Additionally, radar seekers are typically activated only during the terminal flight phase, resulting in limited data collection opportunities per test. Consequently, laboratory-based evaluation becomes indispensable for assessing performance and reliability. This study proposes a reliability assessment methodology grounded in accelerated laboratory testing. The method employs equivalent mission time and failure data obtained through accelerated test conditions, alongside assumed statistical distributions of radar seeker failure behavior, to estimate failur e rates. Based on the estimated failure rate and the defined mission duration of the radar seeker, the mission reliability of a single unit is derived. Thereafter, the overall system mission success probability is determined using a binary success/failure model. This approach enables the utilization of test data generated during both product development and production stages to evaluate radar seeker reliability. Furthermore, it facilitates the translation of component-level reliability metrics into system-level operational effectiveness, offering valuable support for equipment planning, ammunition stockpile management, and mission strategy formulation.