Aeronautics and astronautics – Missile stabilization or trajectory control – Automatic guidance
Patent
1996-06-26
1998-10-20
Jordan, Charles
Aeronautics and astronautics
Missile stabilization or trajectory control
Automatic guidance
244 328, 102377, 89 1817, 60225, F02K 997, F02K 976
Patent
active
058234691
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
This invention concerns missile launching systems, and particularly missile launching and orientation systems. It may be used for small or large "ground--air" or "air--air" or "ground--ground" type missiles.
Any missiles launching and orientation system includes power supply and control electronics means, and means necessary to implement the launch and orientation (mechanical, pyrotechnic means, etc.) under the control of the said electronic means.
A missile launching and orientation system is known as described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,286,956 which includes launching means, aerodynamic control surfaces and their drive devices, and means of orientation essentially comprising a gas generator and nozzles connected to it.
In this system, hot gases are brought from the gas generator located in the missile body, through the control surface rotation axes towards the nozzles located in the rear part of the control surfaces and forming reactive jets directed parallel to the planes of the control surfaces. There is a large number of missiles throughout the world that need to be modernized because these missiles cannot provide omnidirectional defense (in other words cannot intercept a target that suddenly appears from any direction with respect to the objective to be defended). Theoretically, a missile with an inclined launch support can be modernized by equipping it with the known system mentioned above.
However, this would require a large number of modifications in the missile design, making it too expensive. Furthermore, the launching and orientation system considered does not use the entire energy of the reactive jet which is parallel to the plane of the control surfaces reducing the angular speed of the missile when it changes direction towards the target.
A missile launching and orientation system (international patent WO 94/10527) is known which comprises launching means, aerodynamic control surfaces with their drive means, and orientation means including gas generators and nozzles connected to them. In some embodiments, this known system includes a gas generator connected to pairs of nozzles through gas ducts; each pair consists of two identical nozzles oriented in opposing directions, the inlet orifices of which are adjacent to the outlet orifice from their directions, the inlet orifices of which are adjacent to the outlet orifice from their common gas pipe, and the diameters of which are identical to the diameter of the gas pipe outlet orifice.
This known system makes the missile turn quickly towards the target, due to the reactive jet ejected from each pair of nozzles perpendicular to the plane of the control surfaces.
Nevertheless, and in the case of the system in the said U.S. patent, orientation means in this WO patent form a block in common with control surface drive means, which is difficult to integrate into the design of small missiles without degrading their aerodynamic properties. Furthermore, this makes it impossible to jettison the inert mass of orientation systems, after the missile has turned into the required direction. This system could also be used for the modernization of missiles with an inclined launch as mentioned above.
The control system described in the article written by Roger P. Berry "Development of an orientation control system of the advanced kinetic energy missile" (ADKEM), AIAA-92-2763 also includes launching means, aerodynamic control surfaces with drive, and orientation means to be installed in the rear part of the missile, which is made on the basis of gas generators connected to nozzles.
The system described in this article may be adapted to missiles with an inclined launch (to do the modernization mentioned above) without significantly modifying these missiles. This system allows for jettisoning of the inert mass of orientation means after they have fulfilled their function. Nevertheless the complexity of the system, the large size of orientation means designed for the exclusive use of highly toxic liquid fuels (hydrazine) make it very difficult to implement this system.
Due
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Arkhangelsky Ivan Ivanovitch
Bolotov Eugene Gueorguevitch
Chmikov Eugene Afanassievitch
Gaidoukevitch Victor Leonidovitch
Khitenkov Serge Grigorievitch
"Thomson-CSF"
Jordan Charles
Montgomery Christopher K.
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