Research on Optimal Pointing Maneuvers of Post Stall Aircraft

A terminal condition is put forward based on nonlinear point-mass aircraft dynamics, under which the given movable target shall be pointed. A numerical procedure on optimization of minimum-time pointing maneuvers is then established, in which the conjugate gradient method is employed to search for the optimal solution, and a punishment function is defined to handle the constraints. Numerical results show that the procedure can help ascertain the "best" maneuvers for different tactic requirements. Also shown is that the capability of rapid deep post-stall entry plays an unusual role in target pointing and shooting in within-visual-range air combat, as well as the capability of swift flight path reorientation which mainly stresses on the maximum lift.