Multiple wire guided submissile target assignment logic

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-RE49911-E
Application number	US-202117559180-A
Country	US
Kind code	E1
Filing date	Dec 22, 2021
Priority date	Oct 2, 1981
Publication date	Apr 9, 2024
Grant date	Apr 9, 2024

Abstract

A missile system wherein a missile carrier delivers a plurality of submissiles over a target area. A passive or active scanner on the missile carrier repeatedly scans the target area as the missile carrier descends by drag brake over the target area. Submissile assignment to identified targets is performed at a selected altitude. A data processor controls the launching of the submissiles and actively guides the submissiles for substantial portions of their flights via optical fiber or wire links separately connecting each submissile to the missile carrier. Each submissile includes either passive or active identification devices enabling the data processor to track the submissiles individually. A missile assignment table stores a correspondence between identified targets and submissiles assigned thereto. Submissile assignment is effected on the basis of the strength of target signature. Alternatively, the most closely spaced group of targets equal in number to the number of submissiles will be assigned submissiles.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A missile system comprising:
a missile carrier deliverable to a position overlying a target area;
a plurality of missiles carried by said missile carrier, said missile carrier including:
means for locating targets within the target area as said missile carrier descends toward the target area;
means for determining the most closely spaced a subset of said identified targets equal in number to the plurality of missiles carried by said missile carrier;
means for individually assigning said missiles to each of said targets in said subset in a manner to minimize reduce the likelihood of the trajectories of said missiles interfering with each other;
means for launching said missiles against said assigned targets; and
means responsive to said launching of said missiles for guiding said launched missiles substantially through the entire flights thereof from said missile carrier to said assigned targetsas the missile carrier continues to descend toward the target area.

2. A missile system according to claim 1 further including a plurality of physical communication links, each of said physical communication links for coupling a different one of said missiles to said missile carrier for bidirectional communication of information therebetween while each said missile is being guided during flight from said missile carrier to said assigned target by said guiding means.

3. A missile system according to claim 2 wherein said locating means comprises:
means for repeatedly scanning said target area with radiant energy pulses and for receiving radiant energy returns comprising radiant energy pulses reflected from said target area; and
means for processing said radiant energy returns to identify the existence and positions of targets in said target area.

4. A missile system according to claim 3 wherein said scanning means repeatedly azimuthally scans said target area as said missile carrier descends thereto and wherein each said azimuthal scan includes a plurality of radial scans, each of said radial scans comprising a plurality of radar pulses focused on a line connecting the nadir point of said missile carrier to the exterior boundary of said target area.

5. A missile system according to claim 4 further including timing means responsive to the initiation of an azimuthal scan of said target area by said scanning means for determining and storing the elapsed time between the identification of each of said targets in said target area, said processing means for determining the closest spaced subset of said targets by means of said cumulative times generated by said timing means.

6. A missile system according to claim 5 wherein said processing means is coupled to said timing means for accessing said stored elapsed times and for selecting said subset of identified targets having the shortest cumulative elapsed time therebetween for assignment to said missiles.

7. A missile system according to claim 5 further including:
a target memory for storing digital representations of selected targets; and
a missile assignment memory for storing a correspondence between said missiles and said identified targets, said processing means for comparing said processed radiant energy returns to said stored target digital representations, and for assigning said missiles to said identified targets based upon said comparisons, and for storing said correspondence in said missile assignment memory in accordance with said assignments.

8. A missile system according to claim 3 , wherein the means for repeatedly scanning said target area with radiant energy pulses comprises a drive mechanism configured to:
rotate a radar antenna to perform a complete 360 degree azimuthal sweep; or
oscillate the radar antenna through an angle defining a width of a scan pattern.

9. A missile system according to claim 3 further comprising a receiver on each of the plurality of missiles, wherein the receiver is configured to:
sense the radiant energy pulses; and
in response to sensing the radiant energy pulses, return a data signal to the missile carrier over one of said physical communication links.

10. A missile system according to claim 1 , wherein the missile carrier is selected from the group of carriers consisting of a main missile, a helicopter, and an airplane.

11. A missile system according to claim 1 , wherein:
the means for determining the most closely spaced subset of said identified targets comprises means for:
scanning the target area azimuthally to determine individually the elapsed time between the scan of each successive target in said target area, and
selecting a subset of N identified targets separated by the shortest cumulative elapsed time; and

the means for individually assigning said missiles to each of said targets in said subset comprises means for:
determining the missile carried on said missile carrier most nearly opposite target N/2 of said subset of identified targets,
assigning said determined opposite missile to the first target in said subset of N selected targets, and
assigning successive missiles carried by said missile carrier to azimuthally successive targets of said selected subset of identified targets.

12. A missile system according to claim 1 further comprising an optical sensor in said missile carrier which enables the missile carrier to track the flight of each of said missiles.

13. A method for assigning N missiles carried by a missile carrier to selected ones of M targets (N≤M) located by the missile carrier in a target area, comprising the steps of:
scanning the target area azimuthally to determine individually the elapsed time between the scan of each successive target in said target area;
selecting a subset of N identified targetsseparated by the shortest cumulative elapsed time;
determining the missile carried on said missile carrier most nearly opposite target N/2 of said subset of identified targets;
assigning said determined opposite missile to the first target in said subset of N selected targets; and
assigning successive missiles carried by said missile carrier to azimuthally successive targets of said selected subset of identified targets.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the missile carrier is selected from the group of carriers consisting of a main missile, a helicopter, and an airplane.

15. The method of claim 13 further comprising:
launching said missiles against said assigned targets; and
responsive to said launching of said missiles, guiding said launched missiles substantially through the entire flights thereof from said missile carrier to said assigned targets.

16. The method of claim 15 further comprising:
coupling said missiles to said missile carrier by a plurality of physical communication links for bidirectional communications of information therebetween while each said missile is being guided during flight from said missile carrier to said assigned target.

17. The method of claim 15 further comprising using optical frequencies to enable the missile carrier to track the flight of each of said missiles.

18. The method of claim 13 , wherein scanning the target area comprises:
repeatedly scanning said target area with radiant energy pulses and receiving radiant energy returns comprising radiant energy pulses reflected from said target area; and
processing said radiant energy returns to identify the existence and positions of the targets in said target area.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein repeatedly scanning said target area comprises:
repeatedly azimuthall

Assignees

• Boeing Co

Inventors

• Despain Lewis Gail

Classifications

• F42B12/58 Primary

  Cluster or cargo ammunition, i.e. projectiles containing one or more submissiles (F42B12/32 takes precedence) · CPC title