Method and apparatus for determining projectile fin deployment timeline

A projectile, comprising:

• a body;
• a plurality of fins coupled to the body;
• a plurality of magnets, each of the magnets being disposed on a different respective one of the plurality of fins, wherein each of the magnets is disposed inside the body when the magnet's respective fin is in a stowed position, and each of the magnets the magnet is situated outside the body when the magnet's respective fin is in an extended position;
• a plurality of magnetic sensors disposed inside the body, each of the magnetic sensors being disposed adjacent to a different one of the plurality of fins;
• and
• a data recorder disposed inside the body, the data recorder being operatively coupled to each of the plurality of magnetic sensors,
• wherein the data recorder is configured to collect data indicating a respective displacement of each of the plurality of fins after the projectile is launched.

A method for analyzing an operation of a fin-stabilized projectile, the method comprising:

• receiving a position data set that is collected by a data recorder disposed inside a fin-stabilized projectile, the data set indicating a position of a fin of the projectile at different time instants;
• receiving a pressure data set indicating a pressure experienced by the projectile at different time instants;
• identifying an event of interest based on the pressure data set;
• and
• generating a deployment curve for the fin, the deployment curve identifying the position of the fin at different time instants during a launch of the fin-stabilized projectile.