Ordnance – Waging war
Patent
1997-11-06
1999-05-25
Jordan, Charles T.
Ordnance
Waging war
102388, 102489, 244 31, 244 315, 244 327, F42B 1260
Patent
active
059071176
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
The present invention relates to a method and a device for using warheads from a launching vehicle flying over a target area, such as a bomb casing of the cruise missile type, RPV (remotely piloted vehicle) or equivalent, with the warheads separating from the launching vehicle and then acting independently, in order to combat identified hard targets such as armoured vehicles, artillery, bunker positions etc. This includes those targets which lie extremely close to the flight path of the launching vehicle and which, for this reason, have perhaps been identified only at very close quarters, and also those targets which lie to the side of the flight path.
The so-called cruise missiles with navigation systems which are independent of external command after initiation, and with extremely long ranges, were originally designed for navigating at very low cruising altitudes along predetermined and programmed flight paths to break through the oppositions missile defenses and to carry individual large charges towards particularly important selected targets which are well defended against air attack. However, developments have been made towards using the same basic concept for somewhat different purposes, often in a somewhat simpler and less expensive design with shorter ranges. Aircraft-like weapon carriers of the simplified cruise missile type have been proposed for defending against attacks of enemy tanks by deploying antitank mines or independently acting sub-munitions over an area. The area could be predetermined before initiation of the launching vehicle in question or identified during its flight by a target seeker arranged in the same and an analysis unit coupled thereto.
In order to make it as difficult as possible for the opposition side to combat these weapons carriers which are extremely expensive, they have been given, in the same way as the original cruise missiles, a very low cruising altitude towards the intended target area. This makes it possible for launching vehicles of this type to approach the target under the protection of the radar shadow which usually occurs at cruising altitudes of less than about 50 meters. At the same time this means that the actual target seeker, if the launching vehicle in question is provided with one, is only able to give very short warning times for offloading of weapons against those identified targets which lie behind concealing terrain formations or extremely close to the actual flight path. In addition, if the targets are ones which lie close to the flight path, but well to the side thereof, weapons offloading is made correspondingly more difficult.
Warhead types which will be very useful deployed from a launching vehicle of the type in question here are those which are provided with their own target seeker and which, as they descend with deceleration towards ground level from a certain height, scan a defined ground area below them along a helical trajectory centered on the line of descent. The target seeker fires its ammunition of the shaped charge type or equivalent when it finds that the direction of action of the ammunition covers a combatable target. European Patent 0 252 036, for example, describes a warhead of this type which has its own target seeker and an active part directed in parallel thereto. During its active phase, it rotates about its line of descent, with the sighting line of the target seeker and the direction of action inclined relative to the line of descent, and it additionally has the advantage that because it has no parachute, which is the rule in other warheads of similar function, it in not disrupted by wind conditions prevailing within the target area.
Another type of warhead which could be used in combination with the launching vehicle in question here would be those warheads which are provided with their own target seeker which actively guides the warhead, during the final phase, in towards an identified target and then fires its ammunition at the optimum distance or alternately on direct impact.
One problem which must be solved in conn
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Johnsson Stig
Paulsson Lars
Persson Per-Olof
Bofors AB
Jordan Charles T.
Montgomery Christopher K.
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