Passive target location using bearings from a platform whose track is uncertain (Corresp.)

Suppose that a moving platform measmw the relative bearings of a number of distant targets. If the platform track is precisely known and the targets are stationary, then two sucsessive bearings are sufficient to identify the location of a given target using triangulation. As there is always some error in the bearing estimates, additional bearings are needed to obtain a more accurate estimate of each target's location. If the position of the platform is ancertaiq then the target location problem is more complicated. Simple ad hoc estimators of target coordinates when there are significant random errors in the measurem ent of the platform track are presented. The only assumption made about the platform track is that it is distant from the targets.