Comparison of Filtering Techniques for Transfer Alignment of Air Launched Tactical Guided Weapons

Abstract

The transfer alignment technique is very useful for the accurate initialization and calibration of gyroscopes and accelerometers of INS for air-launched tactical guided weapon systems. In the present war scenario, the initialization of INS should be accurate and rapid to launch the tactical weapon against air or land targets within the shortest available time. A lot of development has been carried out by researchers for INS transfer alignment in the field of state estimation. The study and method presented in the research are relevant to aerial launch vehicles. However, to meet present guidance requirements within less time for initializing weapons, more appropriate transfer alignment algorithms are needed. This paper discusses the relative performance of Kalman Filter (KF), Extended KF, and Unscented KF for aligning the weapon INS using the data from Master INS. New developments, limitations, applicability, and design methods for the Kalman filters, became a key component in the transfer alignment of air-launched tactical missiles. These methodologies are extensively utilized in Navigation and Control systems; therefore, this research work will be an informative and perfect guide to existing and potential readers.