The development of maneuvering Hypersonic Glide Vehicles (HGVs) like the Russian Avangard system has highlighted the need to predict the trajectory of these weapons for interception as well as reentry impact location prediction and early warning. HGVs are expected to employ both aerodynamic control surfaces and thrusters to control vehicle orientation and perform evasive maneuvers, making them difficult to intercept. Information that would help guide interceptors will be contained in the plume signature if it can be monitored in real time, however, we need to be able to predict and relate plume signatures to the g-loads and trajectory changes experienced by the vehicle. Since the functioning of the thrusters themselves are affected by vehicle accelerations, it is important to understand how this interaction occurs and how to predict the effect of vehicle g-loads on the plume signature. We are therefore proposing to develop an accurate model of transient solid rocket motor combustion based on the Conditional Moment Closure approach to capture the propellant burn rate interaction with g-load. Success in this effort will allow us to precisely predict transient nozzle exit plane conditions for downstream plume signature analysis.
