Synopsis

On
Guided Missile System
INTRODUCTION
In the modern day theatre of combat, the need to be able to strike at targets that are on the opposite side of the globe has strongly presented itself. This had led to the development of various types of guided missiles. These guided missiles are self -guiding weapons intended to maximize damage to the target while minimizing collateral damage. The buzzword in modern day combat is fire and forgets. Guided missile systems have evolved at a tremendous rate over the past four decades, and recent breakthroughs in technology ensure that smart warheads will have an increasing role in maintaining our military superiority. On ethical grounds, one prays that each warhead deployed during a sortie will strike only its intended target and those innocent civilians will not be harmed by a misfire. From a tactical standpoint, our military desires weaponry that is reliable and effective, inflicting maximal damage on valid military targets and ensuring our capacity for lighting fast strikes with pinpoint accuracy. Guided missiles systems help fulfill all of these demands. For the Missile guidance various techniques are being used they are as follows: Adaptive Missile Guidance Using GPS (Global Positioning System) Laser Guided Missile System GPS guided missiles, using the exceptional navigational and surveying abilities of GPS, after being launched, could deliver a warhead to any part of the globe via the interface pod the onboard computer in the missile with the GPS satellite system. Under this principle many modern day laser weapons were designed. GPS/inertial weapons are oblivious to the effects of weather, allowing a target to be engaged at the time of the attacker's choosing. GPS allows accurate targeting of various military weapons including ICBMs, cruise missiles and precisionguided munitions. Artillery projectiles with embedded GPS receivers able to withstand accelerations of 12,000 G have been developed for use in 155 mm. GPS signals can also be affected by multipath issues, where the radio signals reflect off surrounding terrain; buildings, canyon walls, hard ground , etc. These delayed signals can cause inaccuracy.

Laser guidance is a technique of guiding a missile or other projectile or vehicle to a target by means of a laser beam. Some laser guided systems utilize beam riding guidance, but most operate more similarly to semi-active radar homing (SARH). This technique is sometimes called SALH, for Semi-Active Laser Homing. With this technique, a laser is kept pointed at the target and the laser radiation bounces off the target and is scattered in all directions (this is known as painting the target, or laser painting). The missile, bomb, etc. is launched or dropped somewhere near the target. When it is close enough that some of the reflected laser energy from the target reaches it, a laser seeker detects which direction this energy is coming from and adjusts the projectile trajectory towards the source. As long as the projectile is in the general area and the laser is kept aimed at the target, the projectile should be guided accurately to the target.

PRINCIPLE OF WORKING (GUIDING THE MISSILE)

GPS USED IN RANGING NAVIGATION GUIDENCE

The central idea behind the design of DGPS/GPS/inertial guided weapons is that of using a 3axis gyro/accelerometer package as an inertial reference for the weapon's autopilot, and correcting the accumulated drift error in the inertial package by using GPS PPS/P-code. Such weapons are designated as "accurate" munitions as they will offer CEPs (Circular Error Probable) of the order of the accuracy of GPS P -code signals, typically about 40ft. The next incremental step is then to update the weapon before launch with a DGPS derived position estimate, which will allow it to correct its GPS error as it flies to the target, such weapons are designated "precise" and will offer accuracies greater than laser or TV guided weapons, potentially CEPs of several feet. For an aircraft to support such munitions it will require a DGPS receiver, a GPS receiver and interfaces on its multiple ejector racks or pylons to download target and launch point coordinates to the weapons. The development of purely GPS/inertial guided munitions will produce substantial changes in how air warfare is conducted. Unlike a laser-guided weapon, a GPS/inertial weapon does not require t hat the launch aircraft remain in the vicinity of the target to illuminate it for guidance - GPS/inertial weapons are true fire-and-forget weapons, which once released, are wholly autonomous, and all weather capable with no degradation in accuracy. Existing precision weapons require an unobstructed line of sight between the weapon and the target for the optical guidance to work The proliferation of GPS and INS guidance is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, this technology promise a revolution in air warfare not seen since the laser guided bomb, with single bombers being capable of doing the task of multiple aircraft packages. In summary, GPS-INS guided weapons are not affected by harsh weather conditions or restricted by a wire, nor do they leave the gunner vulnerable for attack. GPS guided weapons, with their technological advances over previous, are the superior weapon of choice in modern day warfare.

SEMI ACTIVE RADAR HOMING (LASER GUIDANCE)

Semi-active radar homing, or SARH, is a common type of missile guidance system, perhaps the most common type for longer range air to air and surface-to-air missile systems. The name refers to the fact that the missile itself is only a passive detector of a radar signal provided by an external (off board) source as it reflects off the target. The basic concept of SARH is that since almost all detection and tracking systems consist of a radar system, duplicating this hardware on the missile itself is redundant. In addition, the resolution of a radar is strongly related to the physical size of the antenna, and in the small nose cone of a missile there isn't enough room to provide the sort of accuracy needed for guidance. Instead the larger radar dish on the ground or launch aircraft will provide the needed signal and tracking logic, and the missile simply has to listen to the signal reflected from the target and point itself in the right direction.

ADVANTAGES
Potential target areas are mapped out ahead of time, identifying potential targets by their location (height above sea level, latitude, and longitude) with respect to the GPS satellite system. When an attack raid is planned, the GPS guided missile is programmed with the target's GPS coordinates and the topology of the region surrounding the target. When the missile is then launched, it reads its current GPS position and plots a course to the target. Additional software onboard the missile enables the missile to follow the terrain in its approach to the target. This makes it difficult to spot the missile on radar or to intercept the missile by any other means. Future laser guided missile systems will carry their own miniaturized laser on board, doing away with the need for target designator lasers on aircraft. These missiles, currently under development in several countries, are called "fire-and-forget" because a pilot can fire one of these missiles and forget about it, relying on the missile's internal laser and detecting sensor to guide it towards its target.

CONCLUSION
"In World War II it could take 9,000 bombs to hit a target the size of an aircraft shelter. In Vietnam, 300. Today we can do it with one laser guided missile. Guided missiles can be fired at targets ranging 8 to 13 kilometers and some like LAHAT laser guided missile up to 22 kilometers. Though many missiles are developed, they dont find accuracy as in the reaching the target. Laser guided missile has be one of dangerous missile in war field in past whereas the GPS guided missiles are yet to be tried in WAR and will be the future

REFERENCES
WWW.WIKIPEDIA.COM

www.howstuffworks.com

www.missilesthreat.com