homing guidance

homing guidance

[′hōm·iŋ ‚gīd·əns]

(engineering)

A guidance system in which a missile directs itself to a target by means of a self-contained mechanism that reacts to a particular characteristic of the target.

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific & Technical Terms, 6E, Copyright © 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

homing guidance

An infrared air-to-air missile with its heat seeker homing head.

Various types of homing guidance controls.

i. A system in which devices built into a missile enable it to steer and keep on course toward a specific target by reacting to some distinguishing characteristic of the target, such as sound, heat, light, or radar reflectors.
ii. Various types of homing guidance are active homing, passive homing, and semi-active homing guidance. It is active homing guidance if the information received is in response to transmissions from the craft, semi-active homing guidance if in response to transmissions from a source other than the craft, and passive homing guidance if natural radiations from the destination are utilized. See also passive homing guidance.

An Illustrated Dictionary of Aviation Copyright © 2005 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved