Nutated beamrider guidance using laser designators

In a semi-active laser designator having a means for tracking a target, a laser for emitting light pulses and beam-forming optics for forming beams from the pulses and sending the beams in the general direction of the target;

• a system for providing laser beamrider guidance to a missile in its flight toward the target, the missile having therein capabilities to generate correctional signals from missile positional information and change flight direction in response to the correctional signals for a more accurate impact on the target, said system utilizing atmospheric particles and comprising:
• A nutator comprising a first prism and a second prism, said prisms being adapted for counter-rotation;
• a first motor coupled for rotating said first prism at variable angles relative to said second prism to achieve variation in the beam offset angle and a second motor coupled in parallel to said first and second prisms to rotate said prisms simultaneously to produce the nutation in the beam, said nutator being positioned between the laser and the beam-forming optics of the designator such that the light pulses emitted by the laser pass through said nutator and are nutated thereby prior to reaching the optics, the emission of the light pulses being synchronized with pre-determined nutator angles;
• and a plurality of light receivers, said receivers being mounted on the missile for receiving the nutated light as the nutated light scatters from atmospheric particles and producing from the received nutated light missile positional information.