Ordnance delivery system and method including remotely piloted or programmable aircraft with yaw-to-turn guidance system
AssigneeE-Systems, Inc.
InventorsCharles H. Thurber, Jr., Frederick A. Behrens, John H. Hunton
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method and system for delivery ordnance to a target via a remotely piloted or programmable aircraft including a yaw-to-turn guidance system, a deployment and launching system and packaging for the aircraft are disclosed.
Claims19
A system for guiding an expendable pilotless aircraft to an electromagnetic wave energy emitting target comprisng:
- an aircraft having control surfaces asymmetrical in the pitch and yaw planes, a sensor, and a guidance system operative in the terminal portions of the flight of the aircraft in a yaw-to-turn mode with a substantially zero roll rate;
- and
- rapidly deployable aircraft launching means.
A guidance system for an expendable pilotless aircraft having an airframe with control surfaces comprising:
- a directional sensor for providing azimuth and elevation error signals;
- means for providing guidance signals indicative of the rate of change of said azimuth and elevation signals;
- a guidance programmer responsive to said guidance signals for providing pitch control and yaw control signals;
- an altitude sensor for providing an altitude control signal;
- an angle of attack sensor;
- roll, pitch and yaw rate gyros for providing rate control signals;
- and
- a three axis autopilot responsive to said control signals for controlling the control surfaces of said airframe.
A method for guiding an expendable pilotless aircraft to an electromagnetic wave energy emitting target comprising the steps of:
- (a) providing an aircraft having control surfaces asymmetrical in the pitch and yaw planes, an electromagnetic energy sensor, and a guidance system;
- (b) controlling the flight of the aircraft in the initial portion of the flight of the aircraft in accordance with a predetermined program;
- (c) sensing the difference between the longitudinal axis of the aircraft and the line-of-sight to detected electromagnetic wave energy in the pitch and yaw planes with a maximum error between about seven degrees and about ten degrees;
- and
- (d) controlling the flight of the aircraft in the terminal portion of the flight of said aircraft in a yaw-to-turn mode with a substantially zero yaw roll rate.
A method for guiding an expendable pilotless aircraft to an electromagnetic wave energy emitting target comprising the steps of:
- (a) launching an aircraft having control surfaces asymmetrical in the pitch and yaw planes;
- (b) sensing an electromagnetic wave energy emitting target;
- and
- (c) controlling the flight of the aircraft in response to the sensing of the electromagnetic wave enregy in a yaw-to-turn mode with a substantially zero roll rate.
A system for guiding an expendable pilotless aircraft to a target comprising:
- an aircraft having control surfaces about the pitch and yaw axis and a guidance system operative to turn said aircraft in the terminal portions of the flight of the aircraft by yawing the aircraft without effecting any substantial roll rate;
- and
- rapidly deployable aircraft means.
A system for guiding an expendable pilotless aircraft to an electromagnetic wave energy emitting target comprising:
- an aircraft having control surfaces generally symmetrical about the roll axis, asymmetrical about the pitch and yaw axis, an electromagnetic wave energy detector, and a guidance system operative in a first position of the flight of the aircraft in resonse to predetermined data in a roll-to-turn mode and operative in a second portion of the flight of the aircraft in response to the detection of electromagnetic wave energy in a yaw-to-turn mode;
- and
- rapidly deployable aircraft launching means.
A system for guiding an expendable pilotless aircraft to an electromagnetic wave energy emitting target comprising:
- an aircraft having control surfaces about the pitch and yaw axis, means for sensing electromagnetic wave energy, and a guidance system operative in the termial portions of the flight of the aircraft in response to said sensing means to turn the aircraft without any substantial roll rate;
- and
- rapidly deployable aircraft launching means.
A method for guiding an expendable pilotless aircraft to an electromagnetic wave energy emitting target comprising the steps of:
- (a) providing an aircraft having control surfaces symmetrical about the roll axis and asymmetrical about the pitch and yaw axis, an electromagnetic energy sensor, and a guidance system;
- (b) controlling the flight of the aircraft in a first portion of the flight of the aircraft in a mode which includes substantial roll rate in effecting a turn in accordance with a predetermined program;
- (c) senisng the difference between the longitudinal axis of the aircraft and the line-of-sight to detect electromagnetic wave energy in the pitch and yaw planes with a maximum error between about seven degrees and about ten degrees;
- and
- (d) controlling the flight of the aircraft in a second portion of the flight of the aircraft in response to said sensed differences in a mode which includes a substantially zero roll rate in effecting a turn.
A method for guiding an expendable pilotless aircraft to an electromagnetic wave enregy emitting target comprising the steps of:
- (a) providing an aircraft having control surfaces about the pitch and yaw axis, an electromagnetic energy sensor, and a guidance system;
- (b) controlling the flight of the aircraft in an initial portion of the flight of the aircraft in accordance with a predetermined program;
- (c) sensing the difference between the longitudinal axis of the aircraft and the line-of-sight to detect electromagnetic wave energy in the pitch and yaw planes;
- and
- (d) controlling the yawing of the aircraft in the terminal portion of the flight of said aircraft without inducing any substantial yaw roll rate.
A method for guiding an expendable pilotless aircraft to an electromagnetic wave energy emitting target comprising the steps of:
- (a) launching an aircraft having control surfaces about the pitch and yaw axis;
- (b) sensing an electromagnetic wave energy emitting target;
- and
- (c) controlling the flight of the aircraft about the yaw axis in response to the sensing of the electromagnetic wave energy without indicing any substantial roll rate.
A method for guiding an expendable pilotless aircraft to an electromagnetic wave energy emitting target comprising the steps of:
- (a) launching an aircraft having control surfaces about the pitch and yaw axis;
- (b) sensing an electromagnetic wave energy emitting target;
- and
- (c) turning the aircraft in response to the sensing of the electromagnetic wave energy by yawing the aircraft without rolling the aircraft.
A method for guiding an expendable pilotless aircraft to an electromagnetic wave energy emitting target comprising the steps of:
- (a) launching an aircraft having control surfaces about the pitch and yaw axis;
- (b) sensing an electromagnetic wave energy emitting target;
- and
- (c) yawing the aircraft in response to the sensing of the electromagnetic wave energy without rolling the aircraft.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.