Enhancements to a multiple model adaptive estimator/image-tracker

Three major enhancements to a previously devised multiple model adaptive estimator (MMAE) for target image tracking are developed and analyzed. These are: allowing some of the elemental filters to have rectangular fields of view and to be tuned for target dynamics that are harsher in one direction than others; considering both Gauss-Markov acceleration models and constant turn-rate models for target dynamics; and devising an initial target acquisition algorithm to remove important biases in the estimated target template to be used in a correlator within the tracker. Particularly good adaptation responsiveness is demonstrated in the multiple model algorithm's ability to handle harsh maneuver onset, yielding performance essentially equivalent to that of the best artificially informed tracking algorithm