Microarc chaff
AssigneeThe United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army
InventorRichard N. Johnson
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An improved chaff in which a plurality of metallic or metallic coated elets are joined as chain links that, when deployed, produce microarcs when the link elements make and break contact with each other in an electromagnet field such as that created by a high power radar transmitter. These microarcs will then in turn create current spikes that will reflect a radar signal that has a wider bandwidth than conventional chaff, so as to make it more difficult to distinguish the chain link chaff from a fast moving target such as an aircraft.
Claims11
Microarc chaff for interference with electronic wave-form information devices comprising:
- a plurality of strip-like elements of electroconductive materials that are responsive to radio frequency energy, said elements being joined as chain links, the major dimension of which said elements is substantially that of the wave length of the radio frequency of operation.
Microarc chaff for interference wave-form information devices comprising:
- a plurality of strip-like elements of electroconductive materials that are responsive to radio frequency energy, said elements being joined as chain links, the major dimension of which said elements is substantially that of the wave length of the radio frequency of operation;
- wherein when said chaff is deployed about a target, intermittent make and break contact between the conductive surfaces of the individual chaff elements cause microarcs that create current spikes in an electromagnetic field of a radar transmitter that will reflect a radar signal to an enemy radar that has a wider bandwidth than conventional chaff, so as to make the chain link type chaff appear as a faster moving target than conventional chaff.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.