Ordnance – Mine-destroying devices
Patent
1997-04-28
1998-12-01
Jordan, Charles
Ordnance
Mine-destroying devices
114 211, 114 212, B64D 104, F42B 1901
Patent
active
058441590
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
TITLE OF THE INVENTION
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method, and to a system, for destroying submerged objects, in particular submerged mines, using a submerged consumable autonomous vehicle carrying an underwater destruction device.
The field of the invention relates to mine warfare, a field which confronts all navies.
2. Description of the Related Art
Many of them are equipped with intervention means, sweeping systems and hunting systems, which need to be developed and updated as the mine threat does so --a mine threat against which, still recently, the most modern large-scale naval means have been employed.
The struggle between measures and counter-measures, which is generally in favour of this type of threat, requires the means employed to become more sophisticated and to take more risk, since the threat is becoming ever-more difficult to detect.
In order to meet the operational needs for effectiveness, speed and safety, the intervention techniques and means must be adapted and can no longer be cumbersome manual means. Meeting the threat by direct attack is an idea which has been discussed for several years in those countries which have the greatest role in mine warfare, but has not yet been put into practice successfully.
Among the systems for destroying mines, one known system consists in locating a submerged mine, in releasing a locating means which includes at least two acoustic markers, or transponders, used as fixed references in the vicinity of the mine to be destroyed, in relocating the mine by determining its position relative to these references, and in activating the destruction device by using the positional data. Underwater destruction means are carried by a surface or subsurface craft, optionally controlled remotely from a platform, which tows, for example, a pod equipped with a lateral sonar, this craft being equipped with means for releasing the locating means. A relocating device is, for example, placed at the rear of the pod following in its wake. The destruction device is preferably carried by the relocating device and may, for example, be a torpedo. This mine destruction system has the drawback of employing expensive relocating and destruction means, which may be destroyed at the same time as the mine. Furthermore, this system does not operate effectively in the case of subsurface mines and, in particular, for tethered mines.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The object of the invention is to overcome the drawbacks mentioned above.
To this end, the subject of the invention is a method for destroying submerged objects, consisting in guiding, from a minehunter vessel, a remotely guided vehicle carrying underwater destruction devices, characterized in that it consists, after launching of the vehicle, in guiding the vehicle towards the mine by means of a sonar coupled to a tactical control station of the hunter, fulfilling the functions of classification and permanent monitoring of the position of the vehicle relative to the mine, in releasing a locating means, carried by the vehicle, once the vehicle has arrived at a determined distance from the mine, making it possible to fulfil a target designation function by interacting with the vehicle and the tactical control station of the hunter, then in communicating to the vehicle, by means of the tactical control station, the navigation parameters necessary for its attack strategy as a function of the type of mines encountered, and its position referenced by the fixed locating means, and in destroying the mine according to the attack strategy acquired by the vehicle.
One of the main advantages of the invention is that it uses a single type of autonomous, remotely guided vehicle, which can be used with full effectiveness and safety for the launch platform, which may be a surface vessel hereafter referred to as the "hunter", this being for bottom mines and for mines with a long or short tether, whether or not they are subsurface mines. Furthermore, the use of an acoustic marker carried b
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Schafer, "Minenjagd-Minenjagdboot 331 b", Wehrtechnik, No. 5, pp. 79-81, May 1978.
Kervern Gilles
Labiau Christian
Le Bihan Guy
Posseme Gilles
"Thomson-CSF"
Jordan Charles
Wesson Theresa M.
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