Journal of the Computational Structural Engineering Institute of Korea ISSN:1229-3059(Print) 2287-2302(Online) 한국전산구조공학회 논문집

An infrared seeking missile does not emit any signal by itself as it is guided by passive heat signature from an aircraft. Therefore, it is difficult for the target aircraft to notice the existence of incoming missile, making it a serious threat. The usage of MAW(missile approach warning) that can notify the approaching infrared seeking missile is currently limited due to its high cost. Furthermore, effectiveness of MAW against infrared seeking missile is not available in open literature. Therefore, effect of evasive maneuver by MAW on the survivability of the aircraft is simulated to evaluate the benefit of the MAW in this research. The lethal range is used as a measure of aircraft survivability. An aircraft flying at an altitude of 5km with Mach 0.9 being tracked by air-launched AIM-9 infrared seeking missile is considered in this research. As a variable for the evasive maneuver, the MAW recognition distance of 5~7km and the G-force of 3~7G that limits maximum directional change of the aircraft are considered. Simulation results showed that the recognition of incoming missile by MAW and following evasive maneuver can reduce the lethal range considerably. Maximum reduction in lethal range is found to be 29.4%. Also, the MAW recognition distance have a greater importance than the aircraft maneuverability that is limited by structural limit of the aircraft.