Decoy countermeasures
AssigneeChemring Countermeasures Limited
InventorAlexander Kit Lay
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A process of producing an infrared radiation-generating decoy for protecting against heat-seeking missiles and other heat-seeking devices comprises the step of decomposing a metal carboxy compound in the substantial absence of gaseous oxygen, to produce a pyrophoric material as a decomposition product of the metal carboxy compound, which pyrophoric material is arranged to combust spontaneously upon contact with air when the decoy is used. The metal carboxy compound may be iron oxalate, and the pyrophoric material may be ferrous oxide. The pyrophoric material may be coated onto a substrate, and a plurality of coated substrate pieces may be used in a decoy.
Claims18
A process of producing an infrared radiation-generating decoy, comprising the steps of:
- decomposing a metal carboxylate in the substantial absence of gaseous oxygen, to produce a pyrophoric material as a decomposition product of the metal carboxylate, wherein the pyrophoric material is arranged to combust spontaneously upon contact with air when the decoy is used and wherein the pyrophoric material is coated on a woven or unwoven cloth substrate which is substantially entirely combustible on deployment of the decoy;
- and
- cutting the cloth substrate into a plurality of leaflets,
- wherein the pyrophoric material is coated on the substrate by coating the metal carboxylate on the substrate and then decomposing the metal carboxylate to form the pyrophoric material as a coating on the substrate,
- wherein the metal carboxylate is coated on the substrate in particulate form and has a median particle size of less than 20 μm, and
- wherein a weight of the cloth is no more than 60 gm−2.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.