Methods and apparatuses for active protection from aerial threats

An eject vehicle for disposition in, and ejection from, a dispenser of an active protection system, the eject vehicle comprising:

• an airframe shell;
• a rocket motor removably attached to the airframe shell and configured to:
• accelerate the eject vehicle along a vector and to cause the eject vehicle to spin about a longitudinal axis of the eject vehicle;
• detach from the airframe shell upon exhaustion of the rocket motor;
• and
• at least one antenna flexibly coupled to the airframe shell of the eject vehicle, the at least one antenna sized and configured to:
• fit within the dispenser in an undeployed position relative to the body of the eject vehicle while the eject vehicle is disposed within the dispenser of the active protection system;
• and
• deploy after the eject vehicle is ejected from the dispenser;
• and
• a set of folding fins attached to the airframe shell of the eject vehicle and configured to deploy after the rocket motor has detached from the airframe shell.

An eject vehicle for disposition in, and ejection from, a dispenser of an active protection system, the eject vehicle comprising:

• an airframe shell containing a heat generating payload;
• a rocket motor removably attached to the airframe shell and configured to:
• accelerate the eject vehicle along a vector and spin the eject vehicle about a longitudinal axis of the eject vehicle;
• and
• detach from the airframe shell upon exhaustion of the rocket motor;
• and
• a set of folding fins attached to the airframe shell of the eject vehicle and configured to deploy after the rocket motor has detached from the airframe shell.

A method of countering an aerial threat, comprising:

• ejecting an eject vehicle from a dispenser in a fixed position on board a platform in a first direction;
• receiving, at the eject vehicle, at least one communication from the platform indicating an original intercept vector for the eject vehicle, the original intercept vector directed substantially toward the aerial threat and in a second direction;
• substantially aligning the eject vehicle along the original intercept vector with a pitch maneuver using at least one alignment thruster of the eject vehicle;
• firing a motor of the eject vehicle after substantially aligning the eject vehicle along the original intercept vector with the pitch maneuver;
• and
• causing the eject vehicle to accelerate the eject vehicle along a flight path substantially aligned with the original intercept vector and spin about a longitudinal axis of the eject vehicle.

An active protection system comprising:

• at least one processor;
• and
• at least one computer-readable storage medium storing instructions thereon that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system to:
• determine an intercept vector for transmission to an eject vehicle comprising a rocket motor, alignment thrusters, and divert thrusters;
• initiate a signal to cause the eject vehicle to eject from a dispenser;
• initiate a signal to cause the rocket motor to fire and to align a longitudinal axis of the eject vehicle approximately with the intercept vector directed toward a projected interception point with a detected threat and to then fire the rocket motor;
• and
• determine a diversion vector for the eject vehicle;
• select one or more divert thrusters to fire during a guidance phase;
• and
• initiate a signal to fire the selected one or more divert thrusters to adjust a flight path of the eject vehicle in a transverse direction to a flight path of the eject vehicle.

An active targeting system comprising:

• at least one processor;
• and
• at least one computer-readable storage medium storing instructions thereon that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system to:
• determine an intercept vector for transmission to an eject vehicle comprising a rocket motor, alignment thrusters, and divert thrusters;
• initiate a signal to cause the eject vehicle to eject from a dispenser;
• initiate a signal to cause the rocket motor to fire and to align a longitudinal axis of the eject vehicle approximately with the intercept vector directed toward a projected interception point with a targeted object and to then fire the rocket motor;
• and
• determine a diversion vector for the eject vehicle;
• select one or more divert thrusters to fire during a guidance phase;
• and
• initiate a signal to fire the selected one or more divert thrusters to adjust a flight path of the eject vehicle in a direction transverse to a flight path of the eject vehicle.

An active protection system, comprising:

• a dispenser coupled with a platform and carrying one or more eject vehicles for ejection therefrom;
• an eject vehicle configured to be ejected from the dispenser, the eject vehicle including:
• alignment thrusters configured to rotate the eject vehicle about an axis orthogonal to the longitudinal axis of the eject vehicle to at least substantially align the longitudinal axis of the eject vehicle with an intercept vector;
• a rocket motor configured to accelerate the eject vehicle along the intercept vector after the eject vehicle performs the pitch maneuver;
• and
• divert thrusters configured to divert the eject vehicle in a direction transverse to a flight path of the eject vehicle.

An active targeting system, comprising:

• a dispenser coupled with a platform and carrying one or more eject vehicles for ejection therefrom;
• an eject vehicle configured to be ejected from the dispenser, the eject vehicle including
• alignment thrusters configured to rotate the eject vehicle about an axis orthogonal to the longitudinal axis of the eject vehicle to at least substantially align the longitudinal axis of the eject vehicle with an intercept vector;
• a rocket motor configured to accelerate the eject vehicle along the intercept vector after the eject vehicle performs the pitch maneuver;
• divert thrusters configured to divert the eject vehicle in a direction transverse to a flight path of the eject vehicle;
• and
• a heat generating payload.

An eject vehicle, comprising:

• a rocket motor configured to accelerate the eject vehicle along the longitudinal axis of the eject vehicle, wherein a spin is imposed on the eject vehicle responsive to thrust of the rocket motor;
• divert thrusters, each divert thruster configured to, upon activation, laterally divert the eject vehicle from its current flight path in a direction transverse to the longitudinal axis of the eject vehicle;
• a heat generating payload;
• and
• a controller configured to activate one or more of the plurality of divert thrusters at different times and at specific spin positions during the current flight path.

An eject vehicle, comprising:

• alignment thrusters configured to rotate the eject vehicle about an axis orthogonal to the longitudinal axis of the eject vehicle to at least substantially align the longitudinal axis of the eject vehicle with an intercept vector;
• a rocket motor configured to accelerate the eject vehicle along the intercept vector after the eject vehicle performs the pitch maneuver;
• divert thrusters configured to divert the eject vehicle in a direction transverse to a flight path of the eject vehicle;
• and
• a heat generating payload.

An active protection system, comprising:

• at least one control processor;
• and
• at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions thereon that, when executed by the at least one control processor, cause the at least one control processor to:
• detect a plurality of aerial vehicles responsive to receiving a signal from one or more sensor modules;
• determine if any of the plurality of aerial vehicles detected by the one or more sensor modules is an aerial threat;
• determine one or more respective interception points of one or more determined aerial threats;
• generating a launch signal to cause one or more eject vehicles to be launched from a dispenser of one or more of dispensers to respectively intercept a determined aerial threat proximate a determined interception point associated therewith;
• wirelessly communicate with the one or more eject vehicles while the one or more eject vehicles are respectively in flight toward a determined aerial threat;
• track the one or more eject vehicles while in flight toward determined interception points;
• determine a divert angle of at least one eject vehicle of the one or more eject vehicles for interception of a determined aerial threat;
• select a divert thruster on the at least one eject vehicle;
• and
• determine a firing time for the divert thruster of the at least one eject vehicle to assist in achieving the determined divert angle.