Raytheon Company

Hughes Aircraft Company

Bryan F Berlin

Kim L Christianson

Bradley M Biggs

Travis P Walter

John T Kenna

Donald G Cawelti

Bradley Biggs

A high impulse fuze booster includes a booster explosive charge positioned within an explosive charge cavity of a booster housing. A substantially planar flyer plate is coupled with the booster housing, and a detonation waveshaper is positioned within the booster explosive charge. A low-sensitivity explosive charge is opposed to the substantially planar flyer plate. The booster explosive charge is configured to generate a detonation wave and the detonation waveshaper shapes the detonation wave into a planar detonation wave, the planar detonation wave is parallel to the substantially planar flyer plate. The planar detonation wave interacts with the substantially planar flyer plate in two or more stages including a planar striking stage and a planar contact stage where the planar detonation wave carries the substantially planar flyer plate into planar contact with a plurality of surfaces of the low-sensitivity explosive charge to initiate the low-sensitivity explosive charge.

Methods and apparatus for high-impulse fuze booster for insensitive munitions

A method for initiating a low-sensitivity explosive charge includes initiating a booster explosive charge within an explosive charge cavity in a booster housing, and generating a planar detonation wave. Generating the planar detonation wave includes directing a detonation wave through the booster housing along a first waveshaper surface of a detonation waveshaper. The detonation wave is directed around the first waveshaper surface toward a second tapered waveshaper surface. After progressing around the first waveshaper surface, the detonation wave is directed along the second tapered waveshaper surface. The detonation wave changes into a planar detonation wave as the detonation wave moves along the second tapered waveshaper surface, the planar detonation wave includes a planar wave front. The planar detonation wave strikes a flyer plate coupled over the explosive charge cavity of the booster housing, and the planar wave front makes planar contact along an inner face of the flyer plate.

Methods and apparatus for a weapon according to various aspects of the present invention comprise and/or operate in conjunction with a warhead case and a fuze system. The fuze system may comprise a fuze housing including a flange configured to be secured to the weapon. In one embodiment, the methods and apparatus operate in conjunction with a fuze well rigidly attached to the warhead case. In addition, the methods and apparatus may include a sensor mounted on the flange, and a booster attached to the fuze well adjacent the fuze housing.

Methods and apparatus for weapon fuze

A laser beam (12) scans a filament (8) being wound onto a bobbin (42) sensing the winding angle of attack .beta. and on determining a variance of the angle from a predetermined desired angle generating a signal in a filament position monitor and control (38) for energizing a bobbin carriage drive (40) to correct the winding angle .beta.. Additionally, the laser beam (12) can scan filament (18) before it becomes the last winding on the bobbin (42) and on a climb-back or gap occurring the filament position monitor and control (38) reverses the spindle drive (41) to remove the climb-back or gap and then reassumes normal carriage drive (40) and spindle drive (41).

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Tucson, AZ, United States of America

Bryan F Berlin