Raytheon Company

Hughes Aircraft Company

Carl G Foster

Donald C Mead

Loren E Batchman

A passive proximity fuze. The inventive fuze ( ) is adapted to be mounted on a munition ( ) and includes a receiver ( ) adapted to lock on to a signal transmitted by a target transmitter ( ). The receiver ( ) detects a Doppler shift in the signal as the munition approaches the target. When a closest point of approach is reached the Doppler shift changes from increasing to decreasing. The inventive fuze ( ) includes a mechanism for detecting this change in the Doppler shift and provides a detonation signal in response thereto. In the illustrative embodiment, the receiver ( ) is an FM receiver. The mechanism for detecting a change in the Doppler shift may be implemented with discrete analog circuitry or digital circuitry. In an illustrative analog implementation, first and second resistive/capacitive networks (R C and R C ) are employed to compute a second derivative of the Doppler shift signal output by the receiver ( ). This signal is then amplified and thresholded to provide the output detonation signal. In an illustrative digital implementation, the output of the receiver ( ) is converted to digital and processed by a digital signal processor ( ). The DSP computes the second derivative of the Doppler shift signal output by the receiver ( ) in response to a stored program for computing same. The output of the DSP is the detonation signal. Hence, detonation is achieved at the closest point of approach of the munition ( ) to the target ( ) with an inexpensive passive solution ( ).

Passive doppler fuze

A system and method that covertly provides in-flight target update data to a large number of missiles. The system and method covertly guides the missiles using a transponder located on a satellite that relays encoded target update data to receivers located on each of the missiles. The target update data is derived from intelligence data acquired by a remote sensing device. The target update data is typically transmitted to the missile launch site where it is encoded and transmitted to the transponder on the satellite. The encoding is preferably accomplished using direct sequence spread spectrum/code division multiple access (CDMA) encoding produced using unique seeds that are supplied to pseudo random code generators that uniquely encode the data to be transmitted to each missile. The receivers on each of the missiles have pseudo random code generators that are loaded with the unique seeds. The present system and method enable rapid response to fast-changing battlefield environments, particularly where mobile or relocatable targets are involved.

System and method for simultaneously guiding multiple missiles

A missile is remotely controlled by a person operating with a base controller that displays an image of an aim-point target. Simultaneously, the base controller displays, as an overlay, a prosecutable target locus that represents the outer boundary of the region that may be hit by the missile, in the event that a maximum change in the guidance commands were to be introduced at that moment. The prosecutable target locus depends upon missile performance capability and the location of the missile relative to the aim-point target, which are provided to the base controller.

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Tucson, AZ, United States of America

Carl G Foster