External system and method for rocket exhaust plume signature tailoring
AssigneeNorthrop Grumman Corporation
InventorsCharles A. Vickery, William D. Kruse, Mark Olmos
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Systems and methods are disclosed for tailoring rocket exhaust plume signatures of fuel-propelled vehicles. An uncombusted fuel is injected or sprayed into the exhaust plume of an ignited rocket. The injected or sprayed fuel modifies the rocket exhaust plume to simulate an exhaust plume of a different vehicle. One or more parameters associated with the injected or sprayed fuel can be modified, so that appropriate tailoring can be achieved.
Claims25
A system for tailoring a plume signature of a rocket exhaust, the system comprising:
- a fuel supply system;
- and
- a spray system that provides fuel from the fuel supply system to a rocket exhaust plume, the fuel modifying the plume signature of the rocket exhaust, the spray system having a first state that provides fuel at a first flow rate and a second state that provides fuel at a second flow rate.
A self-propelled vehicle system comprising:
- a fuel supply;
- a combustion chamber that ignites fuel provided by the fuel supply;
- a nozzle exhaust system that exhausts accelerated gases caused by the ignited fuel forming an exhaust plume;
- and
- a plume signature control system that injects portions of fuel from the fuel supply into the exhaust plume to modify the signature of the exhaust plume.
A system for tailoring a plume signature of a rocket exhaust of a target missile, the system comprising:
- means for providing a supply of liquid propellant;
- means for spraying the liquid propellant into a rocket exhaust of a target missile to simulate an exhaust plume of an actual target missile;
- and
- means for controlling flow rate and volume of the liquid propellant into the rocket exhaust.
A method for controlling a plume signature of a rocket exhaust of a target vehicle, the method comprising:
- selecting a plume profile from a plurality of plume profiles, the selected plume profile defining parameters associated with providing a fuel spray into a rocket exhaust of a target vehicle;
- igniting a rocket motor to propel the target vehicle resulting in a rocket exhaust plume exiting the rocket exhaust;
- and
- providing the fuel spray into the rocket exhaust based on the selected plume profile, the fuel spray modifying the rocket exhaust plume to simulate an exhaust plume of an actual vehicle.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.