Countermeasure system having a confirmation device and method thereof
AssigneeBAE Systems Information and Electronic Systems Integration Inc.
InventorsMatthew F. Kepler, Will R. Grigsby, Eric C. Hoenes, Somit S. Mathur
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A soft-kill countermeasure system utilizing a confirmation device, which may be radar, to enhance existing countermeasures, and enable new countermeasures to be utilized to combat the ever evolving and increasing sophistication of threats. The threat defeat confirmation may allow for rapid or immediate redirection of the countermeasure system to address additional simultaneous threats. The confirmation device can be mounted on a gimbal head or above a gimbal to take advantage of slewing movement to direct the confirmation signal towards the threat.
Claims20
A soft-kill countermeasure system comprising:
- a platform;
- at least one cueing sensor on the platform operable to detect a launch or movement of a projectile;
- a processor in operative communication with the at least one cueing sensor;
- a soft-kill countermeasure housing including a top end and a bottom end, wherein the top end is above the bottom end, and a gimbal coupled to the housing;
- a countermeasure transmitted outward from the soft-kill countermeasure housing;
- and
- a confirmation device positioned adjacent the top end of the soft-kill countermeasure housing above the gimbal, and the confirmation device is in operative communication with the processor to track and locate the projectile and to determine a category and type of threat posed by the projectile from data collected by the confirmation device, and the processor operable to generate a threat cue and determine whether the threat cue is a real threat or a false alarm, and if it is determined that the threat cue is the real threat, then the confirmation device determines when the real threat is defeated by the countermeasure.
A method of deploying a soft-kill countermeasure comprising:
- providing a soft-kill countermeasure housing carried by a platform, the housing having a gimbal carrying a gimbal head;
- detecting an object via at least one cueing sensor;
- slewing a confirmation device in unison with the gimbal head about the gimbal, wherein the confirmation device is mounted on the gimbal head and located above the gimbal;
- tracking a position of the object via the confirmation device;
- communicating the position of the object to a processor;
- deploying a soft-kill countermeasure from the housing;
- monitoring, via the confirmation device, the object in response to the countermeasure having been deployed;
- and
- determining, via the confirmation device or the processor, whether the object has been defeated by the countermeasure.
A soft-kill countermeasure assembly comprising:
- a housing having a top end and a bottom end, wherein the top end is above the bottom end;
- a gimbal coupled to the housing;
- a gimbal head coupled to the gimbal to rotate 360° about a central axis that extends centrally through the gimbal, the gimbal head included an upwardly facing top surface defining a first surface area;
- a confirmation device mounted to the gimbal head, wherein the confirmation device rotates in unison with the gimbal head, and the confirmation device includes a downwardly facing bottom surface defining a second surface area, and the second surface area is less than or equal to the first surface area;
- and
- beam optics in the gimbal head that rotate in unison with the gimbal head.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.