United Technologies Corporation

Joan A Edwards

Donald W Fowler

Nicholas D Lappos

An integrated fire and flight control (IFFC) system determines a ballistic firing solution based on the position of targets relative to a helicopter and also based on the type of weapons to be fired. An elevation command is determined based on the required change in helicopter attitude to achieve the ballistic firing solution that, combined with the estimated time required to perform the aim and release of weapons, provides an estimate of deceleration and velocity loss that will occur. A forward acceleration and velocity profile is determined based on the desire to make a symmetrical maneuver sequence involving a nose down acceleration to achieve the acceleration and velocity profile that will be canceled by the subsequent deceleration and velocity loss during the pitch up maneuver to the ballistic firing solution. The forward acceleration and velocity profile is used to provide a pilot with a forward acceleration command that directs the pilot to fly a nose down attitude until the required forward acceleration and velocity profile is achieved. Alternatively, the acceleration profile is coupled to a flight control wherein a pre-launch maneuver feedforward command signal is summed with a side arm controller control command signal as the primary input to a rotor mixing function and a pre-launch commanded rate signal is summed with a side arm controller commanded rate signal to provide the primary input to an automatic flight control system, to thereby automatically control the aircraft to assume an attitude necessary to achieve the desired forward acceleration and velocity profile. A terminal phase maneuver is calculated to thereby return the aircraft to the previous attitude, velocity hold, hover hold or position hold condition prior to commencement of the pre-launch maneuver.

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Fairfield, CT, United States of America

Joan A Edwards