Air-to-Surface Surveillance and/or Weapons System and Method for Air-Based Inspection and/or Engagement of Objects on Land or Sea
AssigneeEADS Deutschland GmbH
InventorsHans Wolfgang PONGRATZ, Manfred HIEBL
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An air-to-surface surveillance and/or weapons system includes a base aircraft and an unmanned slave aircraft that can be uncoupled from a base aircraft and coupled back to it again. The base aircraft and slave aircraft are equipped with coupling equipment designed to work together. The base aircraft is equipped with surveillance and monitoring equipment. The slave aircraft is equipped with monitoring equipment and/or weapons. The slave aircraft can be connected to a control station via a data link for data exchange and can be controlled from this control station.
Claims20
An air-to-surface surveillance or weapons system, comprising:
- a base aircraft equipped with surveillance and monitoring equipment;
- and
- an unmanned slave aircraft equipped with monitoring equipment or a weapon,
- wherein the base aircraft and the unmanned slave aircraft each include a respective coupling mechanism that is configured so that the base aircraft and unmanned slave aircraft can be coupled and uncoupled from each other,
- wherein the slave aircraft is configured to be connected to a control station via a data link for data exchange and configured to be controlled from the control station.
A method of air-based inspection or engagement of objects on land or at sea using an air-to-surface surveillance or weapons system, comprising the steps:
- detecting an object using an observation unit provided on board a base aircraft;
- observing the detected object using a telescope provided on board the base aircraft in a spectrum of visible light, in an infrared spectrum, or with a radar observation unit;
- decoupling an unmanned slave aircraft from the base aircraft;
- launching the slave aircraft from the base aircraft;
- controlling the slave aircraft in the vicinity of the object;
- conducting an inspection or engagement mission against the object using observation equipment or weapons provided on board the slave aircraft;
- recoupling the slave aircraft to the base aircraft after conducting the inspection or engagement mission.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.