Missile Design: A Comprehensive Guide to Propulsion, Aerodynamics, Weight, Flight Performance, Guidance, Lethality, System Engineering, and Development Online

Course Outline

1 and 2: Overview of Missile Design, Development, and System Engineering (4 hours)

• Key drivers in missile design, development, and system engineering
• Configuration sizing methods for aerodynamics, propulsion, weight, and flight trajectory
• Integration with aircraft, ground, and ship platforms
• Robustness, lethality, guidance, navigation, flight control, observables, survivability, safety, reliability, and cost
• Missile sizing examples
• Development of missile system, subsystems, and technology

3 and 4: Missile Aerodynamics (4 hours)

• Key drivers in the missile aerodynamic design and system engineering process
• Critical tradeoffs, methods, and technologies in missile aerodynamic sizing to meet flight performance and other requirements such as configuration shaping for low observables
• Aerodynamic conceptual design prediction methods
• Launch platform-missile configuration integration
• Aerodynamic sizing examples to meet missile performance requirements
• Missile aerodynamics development process

5 and 6: Missile Propulsion (4 hours)

• Conceptual Design Prediction Methods for turbojet, ramjet, and solid propellant rocket propulsion
• Key drivers in missile propulsion design, development, and system engineering
• Critical tradeoffs, methods, and technologies in missile propulsion system sizing to meet flight performance and other requirements such as observables, safety, reliability, and cost
• Launch platform-missile propulsion integration
• Propulsion sizing examples to meet missile performance requirements
• Missile propulsion system and technology development process

7 and 8: Missile Weight (3.5 hours)

• Conceptual Design Methods for Predicting Missile System Weight and Subsystems Weight (e.g., Rocket Motor, Structure, Warhead, Power Supply, Radome)
• Benefits of a Light-Weight Missile (Production Cost, Firepower, Expeditionary Warfare, Mission Flexibility, Size, Logistics Cost, Observables)
• Missile Structure and Insulation Materials
• Missile Airframe Manufacturing Processes
• Design and System Engineering Tradeoffs That Impact Missile Weight
• New Technologies for Missile Weight Reduction

9 and 10: Missile Flight Performance (4 hours)

• Approaches to Maximize Missile Flight Performance
• Effect of Launch Platform, Targeting, Fire Control System, Human Launch Operator, and Target on Missile Effective Flight Envelope
• Conceptual Design Methods for Predicting Missile Flight Range, Velocity, Time-to-Target, and Off-Boresight
• Equations of Motion and Drivers for Missile Flight Performance
• Alternative Flight Trajectories
• Role of Flight Performance in the Missile Design, Development, and System Engineering Process

11 and 12: Missile Guidance (4 hours)

• Key Drivers in the Missile Guidance Design and System Engineering Process
• Critical Tradeoffs, Methods, and Technologies in Missile Guidance Selection and Sizing
• Conceptual Design Methods for Predicting Missile Guidance
• Targeting System, Launch Platform, and Missile Guidance Integration
• Missile Guidance Sizing Examples
• Missile Guidance System and Technology Development Process

13 and 14: Missile Lethality (3.5 hours)

• Types of Warheads for Different Launch Platforms and Targets
• Warhead Components
• Prediction of Warhead Lethal Radius
• Target Vulnerability Modeling
• Minimizing Collateral Damage
• Optimizing Fuzing Standoff Distance, Forward Look Angle, and Time Delay

Classes 15 and 16: Missile System Engineering (4 hours)

• Missile System Types and Missions
• Missile System Measures of Merit Such as Accuracy, Lethality, Collateral, Survivability, Safety, Reliability, and Cost
• Missile System Requirements Definition (Performance, Cost, Risk) and System Requirements Flow-Down to Subsystem Requirements
• Launch Platform / Fire Control Integration
• Environmental Requirements (e.g., solar radiation, ambient temperature, humidity, rain rate, dust, vibration, shock)
• Missile System Engineering Considerations in Development Testing

Class 17: Missile Development (2 hours)

• Missile Development Activities / Funding / Time Frame
• Missile History / Follow-on Programs
• Missile Cost, Risk, and Performance Tradeoffs
• Missile Tests / Integration
• Missile State-of-the-Art Advancements
• New Technologies for Missiles