Mbda UK Limited

Matra Bae Dynamics (uk) Limited

Martyn Robert Jennings

Lee Douglas Miller

Thomas J Richards

Mark Owen

Colin Bridgewater

Jon Daw

Andrew Peters

William Michael George Halstead

A safety assembly for use with a laser-directed energy weapon is disclosed. The assembly comprises a control system comprising a photodetector and a processing unit; and an optical device configured to attach to a target such that, when attached, the optical device provides a light beam to the photodetector. The processing unit is arranged to compare the received light beam against one or more predetermined attributes, and to permit the laser-directed energy weapon to fire only when the received light beam is determined to have the one or more attributes.

Safety assembly for training use of a laser-directed energy weapon

Described herein is an optical fuze for a guided missile that comprises an array of a large number of optical apertures distributed about the outer surface of the missile. An optical waveguide network selectively couples the array of apertures to a laser source and to a photodetector such that light from the laser source is emitted by selected ones of said apertures, and light returned from a target is received by selected ones of said apertures and directed by said optical waveguide network to said photodetector. These apertures might be arranged to form a composite target images in a particular direction, and/or may be arranged to perform a sensing operation along selected directions. The optical proximity fuze described herein provides inherent flexibility in the way the fuze can be configured in the missile for optimisation for different applications.

Optical proximity fuze

A target scene generator for testing an imaging ladar in a Hard Ware in the Loop arrangement, such as might be employed for testing an optical seeker on a guided missile, the generator comprising an array of pixel elements, a photodetector for detecting incident light from a ladar a laser source for generating pulses of light representing returned ladar pulses, and a reconfigurable fiber network including an optical switch selectively coupling the laser to the pixel elements, and a controller which selectively reconfigures the fiber network, to present to selected pixel elements the pulses of light with selected time delay characteristics such that light emitted from the pixels represent light returned from a target illuminated by the ladar.

Target scene generator having a reconfigurable optical waveguide network for testing pulsed laser sensing apparatus

A signal detector system () comprises a single signal detector () having a limited on-time during which any received electromagnetic signal can be assessed. The signal detector () receives electromagnetic signals from a single direction in space (D) through a single optical fibre (), a signal splitterwhich splits the collected signal between three optical paths (and), and a signal combiner () which combines the portions of the signal transmitted by the three optical paths (and) and transmits the combined signal to a signal detector input (). Each of the optical paths (and) includes a respective optical delay (and) designed to delay transmission of any received signal towards the signal detector (). In this manner the signal detector () will receive any signals that arrived at the optical fibre () during three separate periods of time.

Detection of an electromagnetic signal

A laser device and a method of pumping a laser gain medium (R) comprise directing pulses of laser light from a pump laser () to a series of separate locations (and) arranged longitudinally along the gain medium (R) in the direction of laser propagation. Each pulse of laser light generates a population inversion in an associated portion of the gain medium (R) just ahead of the laser photons. The pulses from the pump laser () are transmitted by a splitter () to the series of separate locations by optical delay lines (and) and each delay line is arranged to pump a different portion of the gain medium to cause a localised population inversion. The pulse transmission delays deliver a sequence of pulses to the portions of the gain medium (R) such that each portion will in turn contribute to amplification of a laser propagating within the gain medium (R).

Laser

An electromagnetic signal processing system () comprises a plurality of optical fiber arrays (and) each having a cluster of optical fibers with their one ends () oriented to receive electromagnetic radiation from free-space, or to transmit electromagnetic radiation into free-space. Received electromagnetic radiation passes through respective array outputs (and) and optical delays () to the input () of a signal detector (). Transmitted electromagnetic radiation from sources () passes through optical delays () to array inputs (and) so that the one ends () of the optical fibers transmit the electromagnetic radiation into free-space.

Optical imaging system with optical delay lines

A signal processing system () has a plurality of optical fibers () with their one ends () mounted in an array board () to receive electromagnetic radiation. A coupler () interconnects the other ends of the optical fibers () in parallel such that electromagnetic radiation is first coupled together and then directed into two or more independent processing channels ().

Signal processing system

A laser-radar receiver comprising an array of optical fibers, wherein the opposite ends of the optical fibers are connected to at least one electromagnetic radiation detector, each of the optical fibers having differing physical characteristics which result in known delays in the transmission time of pulsed electromagnetic radiation.

Pulse shifted array

An electromagnetic radiation (EMR) multiple pulse generator, comprising, an EMR source for producing discrete pulses of radiation, an EMR splitter for receiving the pulses of radiation produced by the EMR source, said splitter providing a plurality of EMR transmission paths for the received pulses, each of said transmission paths having physical characteristics for modifying EMR pulses passing through said paths relative to the input pulses,an EMR combiner for combining the modified outputs of said plurality of EMR transmission paths, andat least one combined EMR output transmission path for transmitting said combined EMR output.

Multiple pulse generation

Apparatus for directing electromagnetic radiation (EMR) comprising an EMR source for producing discrete pulses of radiation, an EMR splitter, the EMR splitter providing a plurality of EMR transmission paths for received pulses, the EMR transmission paths terminating in an array, and optical means for receiving EMR emanating from the array and for directing said EMR.

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Bradley Stoke, United Kingdom

Martyn Robert Jennings