Unmanned aerial vehicle angular reorientation

1. A method of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) body re-orientation comprising:

determining, by a processor, a boresight offset angle error correction value based on a distance between a target point and a boresight point of a body-fixed image frame; and

effecting, by the processor, a transition to translate the target point in the body-fixed image frame to thereby maintain an offset angle via the boresight offset angle correction value.

2. The method of UAV body re-orientation of claim 1 further comprising:

effecting, by the processor, an onboard control surface actuation maneuver comprising a pitch component to translate the target point in the body-fixed image frame to thereby maintain the offset angle via the boresight offset angle correction value.

3. The method of UAV body re-orientation of claim 1 wherein the transition further comprises orienting the target point in the body-fixed image frame below a boresight point in the body-fixed image frame.

4. The method of UAV body re-orientation of claim 1 wherein the transition further comprises actuating one or more aileron actuators.

5. The method of UAV body re-orientation of claim 1 wherein the transition is by one of: a bank-to-turn guidance and a skid-to-turn guidance.

6. The method of UAV body re-orientation of claim 1 wherein the target point is based on a target in motion.

7. An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) comprising:

a processor having addressable memory, the processor configured to:

determine a body roll angle error based on a target location in a body reference frame and an orientation of the UAV in the body reference frame; and

effect a transition to reorient the UAV based on the determined body roll angle error.

8. The UAV of claim 7 wherein the effected transition orients the target location in the body reference frame below the orientation of the UAV in the body reference frame.

9. The UAV of claim 7 wherein the effected transition is further based on a range-to-target and via one or more control surface commands.

10. The UAV of claim 7 wherein the one or more control surface commands are one or more aileron actuator commands.

11. The UAV of claim 7 wherein the effected transition is via at least one of: a bank-to-turn guidance and a skid-to-turn guidance.

12. The UAV of claim 7 further comprising a propeller, wherein the propeller is driven by at least one of: a chemical battery store and a combustion engine.

13. The UAV of claim 7 wherein the target location is in motion and is an evasive target.

14. The UAV of claim 7 wherein the effected transition is about a centerline of the UAV.

15. The UAV of claim 7 wherein the processor is further configured to:

effect a payload release, wherein the released payload contacts the target location.

16. The UAV of claim 7 wherein the body roll angle error is further based on at least one of: a GPS location of the UAV, a crosswind estimation, and a crosswind measurement.

17. The UAV of claim 7 wherein the target location is determined by a guidance sensor suite.

18. The UAV of claim 17 wherein the guidance sensor suite comprises at least one of: a passive radar subsystem, an active radar subsystem, an infrared detection subsystem, an infrared imaging subsystem, a visible light imaging subsystem, and an ultraviolet light detection subsystem.

19. The UAV of claim 7 wherein the target location is received, by an antenna of the UAV, post-launch of the UAV by a third-party.

20. The UAV of claim 7 wherein the target location is modified, by an antenna of the UAV, post-launch of the UAV by a third-party.