Ground-Based Intercept of a Ballistic Missile Exoatmospheric Kill Vehicle Design and Simulation Considerations.

This paper details the simulation process followed to design a model of the Kinetic Kill Vehicle portion of a Ballistic Missile Defense simulation. In order to have full knowledge of the system specifications, we went through the design process to find vehicles propulsion characteristics, center of gravity, and moments of inertia. Using the simulation modeling goals as a guide, the system was then abstracted into a set of desired behaviors. These include ballistic motion, rotational motion, propulsion, vehicle control, communication with the ground, and operation of an on-board sensor. Finally, the paper briefly defines the governing equations used to implement the model in the simulation. Overall, when the presented approach was followed, the simulation process provided a clear progression between steps and a robust method for system modeling.