SpearX.eu Interceptor Simulator

User Manual

Version 1.0 | 2026

📖 Introduction

SpearX.eu Interceptor Simulator is a web application for modeling the interception of aerial targets by unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). The simulator allows you to explore various interception scenarios by adjusting interceptor parameters, target characteristics, weather conditions, and guidance algorithms.

🎯 What is the simulator for?
  • Evaluating the effectiveness of different guidance algorithms (Pure Pursuit, Proportional Navigation, APN)
  • Analyzing the impact of UAV parameters on interception results
  • Studying target behavior under various maneuvering modes
  • Assessing the influence of weather conditions (wind, turbulence)
  • Mission planning and parameter optimization

Key Features

🖥️ Application Interface

The application interface is divided into several main zones:

⚙️ Left Panel (Parameters)

Contains all adjustable simulation parameters, grouped by categories:

  • Interceptor Base — interceptor launch base
  • Target — target parameters
  • Interceptor — UAV characteristics
  • Guidance — guidance algorithms
  • Weather & Environment — weather conditions
  • Limits — simulation constraints

🗺️ Central Area (Map)

3D visualization of the scenario on a world map:

  • Terrain relief display
  • Base and target markers
  • Flight trajectories in real-time
  • Wind vector
  • HUD with telemetry

📊 HUD (Telemetry)

Top right corner of the map — real-time telemetry panel:

  • Time — simulation time
  • Distance — distance to target
  • Altitude — interceptor altitude
  • Speed — interceptor speed
  • Battery — battery charge and temperature
  • Phase — current flight phase
  • Status — simulation status

🎮 Bottom Panel (Controls)

Simulation control buttons:

  • ▶ RUN — start simulation
  • ↺ RESET — reset simulation
  • 📄 GENERATE REPORT — generate PDF report
  • Speed — playback speed (×1, ×5, ×10, ×100)

⚙️ Simulation Parameters

🛰️ Interceptor Base

Parameter Description Units Default
Latitude Base launch latitude ° 42.7500
Longitude Base launch longitude ° 23.3200
Altitude Base altitude above sea level m 633
💡 Tip: Use the 📍 Pick on map button to select the base point directly on the map. The altitude will be set automatically based on terrain (+15 m).

🎯 Target

Parameter Description Units
Latitude / Longitude Target initial position °
Altitude Target flight altitude m
Speed Target speed m/s
Azimuth Flight direction (0° = north, 90° = east) °
Pitch Pitch angle (climb/descent) °
Maneuver Mode Maneuvering mode (see section below) —

Target Maneuvering Modes

➡️ LINEAR

Straight-line flight without maneuvers. The target flies straight at constant speed and altitude.

Use for: basic guidance algorithm tests.

🎲 RANDOM_TURN

Random turns with specified probability.

Parameters:

  • Turn Probability — turn probability
  • Max Turn Angle — maximum turn angle
  • Max Pitch Change — pitch change

🛡️ EVADE

Evasion from interceptor when approaching.

Parameters:

  • Evasion Range — threat detection radius
  • Evasion Climb — climb during evasion

〰️ ZIGZAG

Zigzag movement with periodic turns.

Parameters:

  • Zigzag Period — zigzag period (sec)
  • Zigzag Angle — turn angle

🚀 Interceptor

Parameter Description Impact
Mass UAV mass Less mass → better maneuverability
Battery Battery capacity Determines flight time
Vmax horiz Maximum horizontal speed Speed limit in FINAL phase
Vcruise Cruise speed Speed in CRUISE phase
Climb rate Climb rate Maximum vertical speed
Area S Cross-sectional area Affects aerodynamic drag
Cx Drag coefficient Lower Cx → less drag
Max g-load Maximum g-load Limits maneuverability

Engine Power

Power is calculated using a tabular method based on current speed:

  • P_hover — hover power (0 m/s)
  • P_cruise — power at cruise speed
  • P_max — power at maximum speed
  • P_climb — additional power for climbing

Linear interpolation is used between points. When climbing, power is added proportionally to vertical speed.

🧭 Guidance

Parameter Description Recommendations
Algorithm Guidance algorithm Pure Pursuit — simple, PN/APN — for maneuvering targets
Final capture dist Distance to switch to FINAL phase 300-1000 m
Capture radius Interception radius 5-20 m
Navigation constant N Coefficient for PN/APN 3-5 (usually 4)

Guidance Algorithms

🎯 PURE PURSUIT

The interceptor is constantly directed at the current target position. Simple algorithm, works well against straight-line targets.

Pros: simplicity, stability

Cons: ineffective against maneuvering targets

📐 PROPORTIONAL NAVIGATION (PN)

Acceleration is proportional to the angular velocity of the line of sight (LOS). Predictive algorithm.

Pros: effective against maneuvering targets

Cons: requires proper N tuning

🔧 AUGMENTED PN (APN)

Extended PN with target acceleration consideration. Most advanced algorithm.

Pros: best results against maneuvering targets

Cons: sensitive to measurement noise

🌤️ Weather & Environment

Parameter Description Range
Wind speed @ 10m Wind speed at 10 m altitude 0-30 m/s
Wind direction Wind direction (where it blows from) 0-360°
Surface type Surface type (affects wind profile) Water, Open, Suburban, City, Forest
Turbulence Turbulence intensity 0-0.3
Ambient temp Ambient temperature -20 to +50 °C

⚠️ Limits

If any limit is exceeded, the simulation ends with status TIMEOUT, OUT_OF_RANGE, or corresponding.

🗺️ Working with the Map

Selecting Points on the Map

  1. Click the 📍 Pick on map button in the Interceptor Base or Target section
  2. The cursor will change — click on the desired map point
  3. Coordinates and altitude will be filled automatically
  4. A marker will appear on the map (cyan for base, orange for target)
📍 Automatic altitude: When selecting a base point, altitude is set as terrain + 15 m. For target — terrain + 500 m (minimum 1000 m).

Camera Controls

Scale Bar

The scale bar is displayed in the bottom left corner of the map and automatically adjusts when zooming.

Cursor Coordinates

Geographic coordinates of the point under the mouse cursor are displayed in the bottom right corner.

▶️ Running and Controlling the Simulation

Preparation for Launch

  1. Set base and target parameters (manually or via map)
  2. Configure interceptor characteristics
  3. Select guidance algorithm
  4. Set weather parameters
  5. Click ✓ APPLY PARAMETERS to apply parameters (optional)

Launching the Simulation

Click the ▶ RUN button. The application will:

  1. Load terrain relief along the target trajectory
  2. Initialize the physics engine (Web Worker)
  3. Start real-time trajectory calculation
  4. Display the flight on the map

Flight Phases

🚀 CLIMB (Climbing)

The interceptor climbs to target altitude. Speed is limited (30% of maximum).

Switch to CRUISE: when altitude difference ≤ 30 m

✈️ CRUISE (Cruise Flight)

Approaching the target at cruise speed. The selected guidance algorithm is used.

Switch to FINAL: when distance ≤ Final capture dist

🎯 FINAL (Final Interception)

Afterburner mode. The interceptor accelerates to maximum speed for interception.

Completion: when distance ≤ Capture radius

✅ INTERCEPTED / ❌ FAILED

Simulation completed successfully (interception) or unsuccessfully (battery, timeout, out of range).

Control During Simulation

Button Action When Available
▶ RUN Start simulation Only in IDLE or DONE
↺ RESET Reset simulation Always except IDLE
GENERATE REPORT Generate PDF report Only after visualization completes
Speed ×N Playback speed ×1, ×5, ×10, ×100

Possible Results

Status Description Color
INTERCEPTED Target successfully intercepted Green
BATTERY_DEPLETED Battery depleted Orange
BATTERY_OVERHEAT Battery overheated (>80°C) Red
TIMEOUT Maximum time exceeded Orange
OUT_OF_RANGE Maximum range exceeded Orange
GROUND_COLLISION Collision with ground Red

Guidance Algorithms

Pure Pursuit

The simplest algorithm: the interceptor is always directed at the current target position. Acceleration is calculated as:

a = (V_target - V_current) / τ

where τ is the regulator time constant.

✅ When to use:
  • Target flies straight
  • Interceptor speed is significantly higher than target speed
  • Simplicity and stability are needed

Proportional Navigation (PN)

Acceleration is perpendicular to the line of sight (LOS) and proportional to the LOS angular velocity:

a = N × V_closure × ω

where:

⚠️ Important: With a large speed difference (V_interceptor >> V_target), PN may become unstable. In such cases, Pure Pursuit or increasing N is recommended.

Augmented Proportional Navigation (APN)

Extension of PN with target acceleration consideration:

a_APN = a_PN + (N/2) × a_target_perp

where a_target_perp is the component of target acceleration perpendicular to LOS.

✅ When to use:
  • Target maneuvers actively (Evade, Zigzag, Acrobatic)
  • Maximum interception accuracy is needed
  • Interceptor and target speeds are comparable

📄 Report Generation

After the simulation completes, click the 📄 GENERATE REPORT button to create a PDF report.

Report Contents

  1. Cover page — result, key metrics
  2. Input parameters — all simulation settings
  3. Trajectories — top view and altitude profile
  4. Flight dynamics (part 1) — speed, distance, closure rate, acceleration
  5. Flight dynamics (part 2) — battery, vertical speed, flight phases
  6. Advanced metrics — additional charts
  7. Phase analysis — phase timeline, terrain clearance
  8. Detailed analysis — diagnosis and recommendations

Charts in the Report

💡 Format: PDF A4, color charts on light gray background, headers and footers with project name.

❓ Frequently Asked Questions

Why doesn't the interceptor reach the specified speed?

Speed is limited by the balance between thrust and aerodynamic drag. At high speeds, drag grows quadratically. Increase Max g-load or decrease Cx and Area S.

Why does the interceptor gain altitude in wind?

This is a known issue with Pure Pursuit and PN interaction in wind. The current version includes altitude stabilization with a ±10 m dead zone and ±50 m limit from target altitude.

How to reduce PDF report size?

The report uses JPEG compression for charts (quality 0.7) and reduced canvas sizes. Typical report size is 3-5 MB.

Why is the Generate Report button inactive?

The button activates only after visualization completes (when all frames are rendered on the map).

How to choose the optimal guidance algorithm?

What to do if the battery overheats?

How to interpret Phase Timeline?

The diagram shows the duration of each flight phase:

📞 Support

For questions about the simulator, contact:

✅ Thank you for using SpearX.eu Interceptor Simulator!