TACTICAL MISSILE DESIGN CONCEPTS.

The selection of a propulsion system to meet a particular mission requirement is arduous and often controversial. Frequently, when the government solicits proposals for missile concepts from industry, it must choose from a group of fundamentally different propulsion concepts. This article describes a variety of propulsion cycles and presents a methodology for selection based on particular mission requirements and constraints. Engine specific impulse, thrust-to-weight ratio, and propellant mass fraction are shown to be important engine design indices that govern selection. Optimal staging motor pulsing, and thrust modulation are among the design variables that are examined.