Design Considerations for the Strapdown Laser Detector on a Terminal Impulse Correction Mortar Projectile

This paper presents a mortar projectile equipped with a four-quadrant strapdown laser detector to guide and maneuver to its intended target with the use of impulse thrusters. To obtain the largest attack area of the mortar projectile, we must ensure that the detector acquisition area covers the maximum correction area provided by the thrusters. A six-degree-of-freedom rigid-body dynamic model of the projectile and a model of the detector acquisition area are established to aid in designing the laser detector The detector acquisition area is sensitive to two parameters: the angle of view and the acquisition range. Results indicate that the largest attack area is achieved through properly selecting these two important parameters.