Raytheon Company

Aaron T Spettel

Joel E Lamendola

F Taft Murray

Anthony J Sarantakis

Joseph L Sebeny, Jr

In one aspect, a method includes receiving live radar data, receiving virtual radar data, merging the live radar data and the virtual radar data to form merged data, and tagging the merged data with a virtual tag indicator to indicate a presence of the virtual radar data. The method also includes for each receive time window, determining if the virtual radar data is present from the virtual tag indicator; if the virtual radar data is present, tagging a detection with a virtual tag and if the virtual radar data is not present, tagging detections with a live tag.

Processing virtual and live tracks to form a virtual-over-live environment

A fuzing system adapted for use by a guided missile to generate a detonation signal for a warhead carried by the missile. The missile has a seeker/tracker to track, and direct the missile towards, a target. The seeker/tracker has: a seeker, gimballed with respect to the body of the missile, for producing a signal representative of the angular deviation between the target and the missile; and, a ranging system for producing a signal representative of a range between the target and the missile. The fuzing system, in response to the range signals, produces a time-to-go signal, t.sub.go, where t.sub.go, related to the range between the missile and the target divided by the rate of change in such range. The seeker produced signal represents the line of sight angle between the missile and the target and wherein the processor, in response to the range signal and the line of sight angle signal produces a miss distance signal representative of a predicted distance, normal to the line of sight, at the time the remaining before the missile intercepts the target. A fragment velocity signal is produced representative of the velocity of fragments of the warhead divided by the predicted warhead miss distance.

Missile fuzing system

A radar system is provided to track radar energy reflected by a point on the target different from the centroid of a target's radar reflected energy. The radar system includes a target angle/range tracking system and a target energy monitoring/range tracking system. During a first mode of operation, the target angle/range tracking system tracks the centroid of the target's reflected energy; and, the target energy monitoring/range tracking system monitors the strength of energy reflected from points, or regions along the body of the target different from the centroid reflected energy producing region. When the signal strength to noise ratio (i.e., S/N ratio) from a reflection at one of the monitored points along the target exceeds a predetermined level indicating detection of a secondary reflector along the body of the target, a second operation mode commences. During the second operating mode, the target angle/range tracking system tracks the energy from the secondary reflector and the target energy monitoring/range tracking system monitors energy reflected from points along the target's body different from the secondary reflector.

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Merrimack, NH, United States of America

Aaron T Spettel