Performance analysis of realistic true proportional navigation against maneuvering targets using Lyapunov-like approach

The realistic true proportional navigation (RTPN) is a variant of the true proportional navigation (TPN) guidance law for mathematical tractability. Although the performance of RTPN against nonmaneuvering targets or maneuvering targets with specific acceleration forms has been widely analyzed before, its performance against arbitrarily maneuvering targets has still not been explored. In this paper, using the Lyapunov-like approach, the performance of RTPN against maneuvering targets, whose magnitude is arbitrary but upper-bounded and direction is vertical to the line-of-sight (LOS), is well studied. The upper bounds of the LOS rate and commanded acceleration of RTPN are obtained, and the capture region is also presented. The nonlinear relative dynamics between the missile and target is taken into full account. Finally, the proposed theoretical findings are demonstrated by numerical simulation examples.