A track filter for reentry objects with uncertain drag

A filter was developed for maintaining track on ballistic missiles whose drag profiles are unknown or deviate significantly from prior predictions. The filter employs an innovative form of a seven-state Kalman filter in which object drag is included as a state to be estimated. Using measurements of range, azimuth, and elevation, the filter can track endo- and exo-atmospheric targets on a wide variety of trajectories without requiring a priori tuning to account for variations in reentry angle, drag history, measurement signal-to-noise ratio, etc. The filter was designed to be implemented at the millimeter wave (MMW) radar (a high-range-resolution, narrow beamwidth, Ka-band radar) located at Kwajalein Missile Range (KMR) in the Marshall Islands. Extensive testing and comparisons using a high fidelity simulation showed the new filter to be robust to a wide variety of trajectories and substantially better than track filters presently used at KMR. The filter was coded to run efficiently in real time, installed at the MMW radar, and successfully used to track an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) with varying drag characteristics through exo-atmospheric and reentry phases. The filter yielded a more accurate and responsive track than possible with the previously used filter on a similar trajectory.