Patent ID: 8063347

Claim:
A method for engaging a target, said method comprising the steps of: providing a plurality of sensors for producing track data representing target tracks; projecting said track data forward in time to generate projected target tracks; evaluating said projected target tracks and associating an estimated quality measure with each projected target track; for each of a plurality of interceptor missiles, listing at least characteristics of (a) maximum seeker look angle with associated uncertainty, (b) acceleration or other kinematic capability, (c) seeker beamwidth, and (d) net radar sensitivity; determining a plurality of target intercept times for each of a plurality of types of interceptor missiles; for each of said plurality of target intercept times, using said projected target tracks, said estimated quality measures, and said characteristics to determine, for each of said plurality of interceptors missiles, a probability that the interceptor missile can acquire said target; determining, for each of said plurality of interceptor missile types, a probability of hitting the target from the projected target track quality, the probability of acquisition of a particular type of interceptor missile, and the acceleration or other kinematic characteristics of said interceptor missile type; determining which type of said plurality of interceptor missiles to use by aggregating said probabilities of acquisition and probabilities of hitting said target, and selecting an interceptor missile of said plurality of interceptor missiles having one of (a) an extreme value of the resulting aggregation and (b) the earliest intercept time from among those interceptors having a resulting aggregation above a minimum value.