Studies on the performance of reticles used in passive homing system

Most infrared based target-seeking systems operate as passive detectors of the target with no energy being required to be transmitted from the seeker in order to detect a target. Reticles are used commonly in these passive homing seekers to modulate the incoming radiation from the target. Since signals are invariably corrupted by noise, the analysis of signal-to-noise characteristics of a passive homing system is crucial in elucidating its performance towards successful homing on the target. The objective of this thesis refers to the analysis of a passive homing system which employs a frequency modulated reticle. Studies pertinent to the feasibility aspect of using electrochromic, nonmoving reticles also constitute a part of the present study. In essence, the effort addressed in this work are concerned with the performance analysis and feasibilities considerations in using nonmoving reticles in passive homing systems in lieu of conventional rotating reticles.