Patent ID: 7875837

Claim:
A method for engaging a hostile missile with an interceptor missile, said method comprising the steps of: sensing a hostile missile with a sensor to thereby generate sensed target data; generating from said sensed target data an estimated target trajectory; mathematically dividing said estimated target trajectory into portions, the junction of each of said portions with the next defining a possible intercept point; modeling the engagement for each of said possible intercept points to thereby generate a probability of lethal object discrimination; processing said probability of lethal object discrimination to generate a probability of intercept for each of said possible intercept points; selecting that one of said possible intercept points which has the largest probability of intercept to define a selected intercept point; from said selected intercept point, calculating an intercept missile launch time; initializing interceptor missile guidance with information relating to said selected intercept point; and launching said interceptor missile at said launch time and under the control of said interceptor missile guidance.