Computational Technique to Assess Warhead Lethality against Ballistic Missile

This paper addresses a computational procedure to assess the lethality of kinetic energy projectile warheads against tactical ballistic missile payloads with an innovative and rational damage metric. The individual lethality of different projectile geometries impacting at hypervelocity at different configurations is estimated via a numerical damage index computed from hydrocode simulations. The highest count of possible impacts to the payload is achieved by optimizing the warhead’s configuration and time of detonation, a priori knowledge of the target’s location and speed. The total damage to the payload characterizes the warhead’s lethality for the particular engagement conditions. An example shows the application of the process and potential advantages.