EP3679314B1 - Aerial vehicle for countering drones - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to a missile for fighting drones with a drive and a housing around the drive and an active body for damaging the drone.

Remote-controlled small aircraft are becoming more and more powerful, both in terms of their payload and in terms of their control and flight capabilities. Using a camera and wireless video transmission, model building drones can easily be remote-controlled over long distances without the pilot standing on the ground having to keep an eye on them.

The danger that such agile small aircraft will be misused as weapons is great. In this respect, there is a need to defend against remote-controlled small aircraft, hereinafter also referred to as drones for the sake of simplicity.

Such a defense device is from the DE 10 2016 211 371 A1 known. An arrow-like missile is shot from a launcher, which has a net launcher at its front end. If the missile comes close to the drone to be intercepted, the net is thrown forward, the drone is caught and the drone, which is entangled in the net, falls to the ground on a parachute.

Another defense device is also from the DE 10 2015 008 255 A1 known. It is a defense drone to ward off small drones. The defense drone comprises a motor connected to its fuselage for driving propellers and a throwable effector provided on the fuselage.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved missile for combating drones.

This object is achieved by a missile according to claim 1.

The invention is based on the consideration that small and light drones can only be hit with difficulty by a directed launch. In particular, capturing with the aid of a net requires a high level of accuracy for the approaching missile. With the seeker head with the optical viewfinder, the missile can be tracked in a targeted manner to the movements of an agile drone, so that a target approach can be carried out precisely and the active body can be triggered in sufficient proximity to the drone.

A drone can be understood to mean an unmanned aircraft such as a remote-controlled aircraft, in particular up to a total weight of twenty kilograms, for example from the hobby area of model aircraft building. It can be a so-called Small Unmaned Aircraft (SUA) or a Micro Air Vehicle (MAV). A drone can be a rotary wing aircraft, in particular with a plurality of rotors, for example a quadrocopter or a hexacopter. However, a fixed wing or only wing is also possible.

The control unit is prepared for drone detection, in particular on the basis of data from the seeker or a detector of the seeker head. A drone detection can be understood to mean holding a given target as well as autonomous recognition of the target as such. If, for example, a missile launcher for launching the missile is equipped with optics or another target acquisition system with which the target is detected and transferred to the missile, it is sufficient for drone detection if the control unit is prepared to target the transferred target in this way to keep that this steers the missile to the target. A faster launch is possible, however, if the drone is detected by the missile itself. For this purpose, image processing algorithms can be used by the control unit with which the target is recognized as such. To identify the target, it is sufficient to classify the target into one of several different classes of different missiles. The control unit can compare properties of the missile, for example optical properties, with class properties and divide the missile into one or more of the classes on the basis of the comparison result. A classification of the missile expediently includes a distinction between missiles to be attacked and missiles not to be attacked. In this way, an incorrect attack on a missile that is not to be combated can be avoided. The detection of unmanned small missiles is particularly useful. The drone can be recognized as such among several objects visible in the sky, which counteracts incorrect combat becomes. The control unit is expediently able to differentiate between rotary-wing and fixed-wing aircraft or to classify the drone as a rotary-wing or fixed-wing aircraft.

The active body is at least prepared to damage the drone. Damage can be a reduction or cessation of the drone's ability to fly. This can be done mechanically and / or electronically, for example by radiation to disrupt radio traffic and / or to impair, in particular destroy, electronic components of the drone. The active body can contain a microwave transmitter or a transmitter in a different frequency range which, in response to a combat command, emits active radiation to damage the drone. Of course, complete destruction is also possible, for example parts of the drone being broken off causing a crash. In this respect, the active body can have an explosive charge, a shot charge or the like, for example rubber shot.

The control unit is used to control the approach of the missile to the detected drone. Appropriately, this is an autonomous approach to the drone without the need for continuous control by an operator. The seeker head can be an artillery seeker, i.e. a seeker as it is used in artillery shells. A rocket engine is advantageous as the drive, a propeller drive with a battery and a rechargeable battery also being possible.

The missile is advantageously shot down by a hand launcher or battery launcher, referred to in the following simply as a launcher. A launcher for 40 mm caliber projectiles or rockets is particularly cheap.

To intercept a drone, there is the possibility of bombing it with small projectiles, for example splinters or shot, and thereby destroying it or at least rendering it incapable of flight so that it falls down. However, this can also cause harm to uninvolved people, especially in a civilian environment, for example from fragments flying around or the falling drone itself. It is therefore desirable to make the interception of the drone more manageable than is the case with a mere shot down by an explosion. Such controllability can be facilitated if the active body can cause an active element to be ejected to the rear, if possible without destroying the missile itself. For example, a catch element and / or a parachute ejected backwards so that the drone can be caught and the entire system hovers down on the parachute without posing a danger to people due to an excessive impact speed.

According to the invention, the drive is releasably held in the housing in such a way that it can be ejected in flight. A rear space of the missile that was previously occupied by the drive can now be used for other purposes. According to the invention, the active body is arranged in relation to the drive in such a way that it gains a degree of active freedom when it is released. A degree of freedom of action is obtained when the effective body can achieve an effect through the drop that is not or not yet possible before the drop.

The drive can be detachably arranged in the housing so that it can be ejected in flight and is thus ejected from the housing. It is also possible that the drive is held releasably to the housing in such a way that it can be ejected together with the housing part surrounding it in flight. The drive and a rear housing part are detachably held in relation to a front housing part, so that, for example, a rear part of the missile is dropped as a whole. The rear space is then the area behind the front, remaining part of the missile, and it is free for the active body to be deployed through this space.

In order to avoid personal injury when a drone is intercepted by falling or parts falling down, it is advantageous if the drone and / or the missile glides down while floating on a parachute. Accordingly, it is advantageous if the missile has a parachute which is arranged in a payload chamber of the missile. The arrangement can be in front of the drive in the direction of flight, in particular directly in front of the drive. The parachute can be ejected to the rear through a drive compartment, which is open through the release of the drive. Ejection to the rear is considerably easier and entails much smaller risks of the parachute becoming entangled on the missile than a lateral ejection, for example through a side flap. To eject the parachute, a trigger can be provided which, together with the parachute, is designed such that when it is triggered it throws the parachute backwards through a drive space. The drive space, which houses the drive before and during the launch of the missile, is free after the drive has been dropped so that the parachute can be ejected through the drive space to the rear.

The missile is expediently launched from a tube from which the missile is ejected either by a cartridge, but in particular by its own drive. For a steerable control of the missile to the target, steering blades are advantageous, which are expediently arranged at the rear of the missile. A wing has at least one control surface which can be moved relative to the housing of the missile as an outer surface, the movement of which is expediently controlled by the control unit. In order to enable a pipe closure, several control vanes are expediently available, which are designed as folding vanes. Folding wings can be folded in the tube and, after the tube is closed or after leaving the missile, can be opened out of the tube and thereby protrude, for example, vertically radially from the housing and enable the missile to be controlled through the corresponding control surface.

It makes sense if the drive is arranged in such a way locked in the housing or its drive space before and during the start that it does not fall out of the housing or drive space incorrectly. A drive lock is expediently provided for this purpose, which locks the drive in the housing or drive space in such a way that it cannot fall out. A simple drive lock can be achieved if it is connected to a folding wing in such a way that unfolding the folding wing mechanically moves the drive lock in such a way that it releases the drive for ejection. A mechanical form fit can be released so that the drive can now be ejected.

The drive and housing are expediently designed in such a way that the drive can be freely ejected to the rear after being pushed. If, for example, the folding wings are unfolded and the drive lock is brought into such a position that the drive is released, it can still push the missile for a while after its take-off and thereby remain pressed into the housing. If the pushing slows down, is stopped or otherwise diverted, the drive can be ejected to the rear.

A particularly simple release of the drive can be achieved if the drive lock is rigidly connected to a folding sash. By unfolding, for example, a formation can be moved into a release position, so that a form fit that was previously blocked by the nose is released.

A simple ejection of the drive from the housing or a drive space can be achieved if the drive is designed such that it is ejected from the housing by its thrust reversal. It is also advantageous if the drive and the housing are designed in such a way that the drive, which is designed to drive over a predetermined period of time, develops a pressure in the housing towards the end of the period which drives the drive out of the housing. For example, towards the end of the period of time, the drive can cause a forward gas ejection which, before the drive, generates a gas pressure that ejects the drive from the housing.

A drone to be intercepted is usually small and therefore only visible to the naked eye over short distances. If a drone is seen by an operator, for example, and the decision to intercept the drone has been made, it may be that it is already relatively close, i.e. only a few hundred meters, from the operator. The same applies to automatic drone detection and launching the missile from an automated battery. If the drive is to be dropped, for example to enable a parachute to be ejected backwards, the drive must be switched off or burned out before reaching the drone to be intercepted. It is advantageous if the weight and aerodynamics of the missile are characterized by the fact that the drive is designed to drive over a predetermined period of time, and this period, in conjunction with weight and aerodynamics, is dimensioned so that the drive can thrust after end of the predetermined maximum distance after the start. Depending on the drone class to be intercepted and the visibility of the drone, the maximum drive distance can be adjusted accordingly. A drive path of a maximum of 200 m, in particular a maximum of 150 m, preferably a maximum of 100 m, is advantageous. For example, an engine burn-up ends after 100 m, so that the drive is then ejected.

In order to keep the costs for the missile low, it is advantageous if it can be constructed at least in part from components that are already used elsewhere, in particular standardized components. It is particularly advantageous if the active body is an active body that is also used in another context, for example a ballistic projectile, so that it then only has to be inserted into a payload chamber of the missile, for example.

In this respect, it is advantageous if the missile has a payload chamber in which the active body is arranged, expediently together with an ignition trigger for igniting the active body. The ignition trigger can be adapted to the type of ignition of the active body, so that when different active bodies are used, only the corresponding ignition trigger has to be adapted. If, for example, the active body has an impact fuse, it is advantageous if the ignition trigger contains a mechanism which simulates an impact of the active body when triggered. In general, it is expedient if the ignition trigger is connected to the control unit by a signal line, expediently via a mechanical interface. For example, a composite body consisting of an ignition trigger and an active body can be pushed into the payload chamber, electrical contact with the control unit being established through the mechanical interface, expediently by engaging a mechanical locking unit, so that a reliable signal connection between the ignition trigger and control unit is ensured.

A drone usually comprises rotating parts, such as a rotor, a propeller or even a turbine, which can be brought to a standstill by a network or, more generally, a thread. In this way, the drone can be prevented from continuing its flight and thus damaged, but it does not have to be destroyed. To achieve this, it is advantageous if the missile has a thread load and an ejector for ejecting the thread load. The thread load contains a multitude of threads. A thread is an elongated and flexible element, the material of which is of minor importance, so it can be a plastic, a natural material, a composite, metal or other material. The ejector may contain a detonating agent which, when exploded, ejects the threads. The ejection can take place to the rear, in particular through a drive space, or to the side, for example by breaking off a housing part.

The filament charge may include loose filaments that are not attached to the missile and / or not attached to each other. The threads become entangled in a rotating element of the drone, which then crashes. In another embodiment variant, the threads can be connected at least indirectly to the housing of the missile at at least one end. They can create a web of threads that can be used to capture the drone.

In order to keep the weight of the missile as low as possible, the threads also have a low weight, which could have a negative impact when they are distributed in the area around the missile, since they are not scattered far around the area even if detonated. In order to overcome this disadvantage, it is advantageous if weights are attached to the threads, which are also thrown away during casting. The weights can pull the threads apart and thus spread them over a wide radius, which means that the missile has a wider radius of action to catch the drone. It is possible to provide a separate weight for each thread, or to attach several threads to a weight so that several threads with one weight fly through the air like tufts.

To save the weight of the missile, it is advantageous if the weights are housing elements. The housing can be broken open and the individual housing elements can pull the threads into the surrounding area. For this purpose, the housing expediently contains predetermined breaking points or predetermined breaking lines which divide it into individual housing elements. At least one thread is expediently attached to one, to several or to each housing element divided in this way. To this extent, the housing elements can be tubular parts, in particular tubular strips. The threads on the housing elements advantageously form a network, in particular when the housing elements are driven apart.

In order to prevent the captured drone from falling down in an uncontrolled manner, it is advantageous if the threads are at least indirectly attached to the seeker head. For example, the threads can be fastened to the housing or to a fastening element provided for this purpose in a payload compartment. The missile and drone remain connected to one another and can slide down on a parachute, for example. At the other end, the threads can be fastened to a housing element in order to achieve a high degree of waste, for example to a part of the housing around the payload space and / or the drive space.

In order to encourage threads to drift apart around the missile, it is advantageous if the ejector and the housing are designed such that the housing is moved apart first and / or more apart in a front area than in a further rear area when being ejected. It can be achieved in this way that the wind prevailing around the housing Drives housing elements apart. If threads are attached to the housing elements, the thread load can be driven far apart. One possibility for this is that a detonation means and the housing are designed in such a way that, when the detonation means detonates, the housing bursts open first and / or more in a front area than in a further rear area.

The invention is also directed to a system comprising one or more missiles according to the invention and a grenade launcher. A favorable production of the missile or the entire system can be achieved if the grenade launcher is equipped as ammunition with a cartridge with a propellant and an active body and the missile has an identical active body. The active body, which is, for example, a detonation body, can be used both in the grenade launcher and in the missile, or active bodies already known from a known grenade launcher can be used for the missile.

The active body can be made particularly simple and the system can be cost-effective if the active body is equipped with an impact fuse and the missile has an ignition trigger that contains a mechanism that simulates an impact of the active body when triggered so that it detonates in the missile.

The invention is further directed to a missile launcher with a missile as described above for the invention. The missile launcher is used to launch the missile, for example in the form of a barrel.

The invention is also directed to a system of several missiles in accordance with the above description of the invention and several different active bodies. A cost-effective system can be achieved if the missiles all have an identical payload chamber in which the various active bodies can be inserted and locked without tools. The active bodies can expediently be ignited by the control unit. Such a modular structure allows identical missile fuselages to be equipped with different active bodies, so that a high degree of versatility in use can be achieved at low costs. The active bodies advantageously have an identical outer circumference. The tool-free insertion of the active body is advantageously possible with existing neighboring modules, such as a drive of the missile and a control unit or control electronics.

An advantageous embodiment variant of the invention provides that an ignition trigger for igniting the active body is arranged in each of the payload chambers and the ignition triggers are different and adapted to the respective active body. A simple insertion of the active body into the missile fuselage can be achieved if a firing trigger with its active body together form a firmly connected package, which can be inserted into the payload chamber as a whole - expediently without tools - and assembled there as a whole ready for use. The packages are expediently all uniform in their external shape. Uniform interfaces to the control unit are also advantageous.

In addition, the invention is directed to a method for fighting drones according to claim 15. A precise control of the missile to the drone can be achieved if, according to the invention, a seeker head of the missile detects the drone with an optical viewfinder. A control unit of the missile can steer it to the target using the viewfinder data, even if the missile performs its own flight movements during the approach of the missile. The predefined position in which the active body of the missile is triggered can be established by predetermining the distance and / or direction of the missile to the drone.

According to the invention, a drive of the missile is thrown from a housing of the missile before the active body is triggered, and the active body acts through a drive space in which the drive was stored before it was released. This can also be understood to mean a discharge of the active body wholly or partially through the drive space. The drive can be ejected from the housing and ejected or, together with a housing part surrounding it, can be separated from a front housing part and ejected.

In order to ensure rapid interception of the drone, it is advantageous if the seeker head detects the drone autonomously during the approach and the active body is triggered if the drone is located within a given space. A check is expediently carried out by the control unit during the Approach made to determine whether the drone is in a specified position, for example within a specified lounge area.

Since a potentially dangerous drone may be detected very late, it is advantageous if the autonomous target acquisition takes place while the missile is approaching the drone. As a result, the missile can be shot down very quickly without prior target acquisition being necessary. In order to avoid the detection and approaching of wrong targets, a target is expediently categorized as a target to be approached only if it lies within a predetermined range voltage. The distance voltage expediently extends up to a maximum normal optical detection of the drone in question by a human eye. This maximum distance can be specified in advance or result from a categorization of the drone during the approach.

The description given so far of advantageous embodiments of the invention contains numerous features, some of which are summarized in several dependent claims. The features can, however, expediently also be viewed individually and combined into meaningful further combinations, in particular when claims are referred back, so that an individual feature of a dependent claim can be combined with an individual, several or all features of another dependent claim. In addition, these features can each be combined individually and in any suitable combination both with the method according to the invention and with the device according to the invention according to the independent claims. Thus, process features are also to be seen objectively formulated as properties of the corresponding device unit, and functional device features are also to be seen as corresponding process features.

The properties, features and advantages of this invention described above and the manner in which they are achieved will become clearer and more clearly understood in connection with the following description of the exemplary embodiments, which are explained in more detail in connection with the drawings. The exemplary embodiments serve to explain the invention and do not restrict the invention to the combination of features specified therein, not even with regard to functional features. In addition, suitable features of each exemplary embodiment can also be considered explicitly in isolation, removed from one exemplary embodiment, in another exemplary embodiment Supplements can be introduced and / or combined with any of the claims.

FIG 1

einen Flugkörper zur Drohnenbekämpfung,

FIG 2

den aus einem Werfer abgeschossenen Flugkörper aus FIG 1 auf dem Weg zu einer abzufangenden Drohne,

FIG 3

eine schematische Darstellung eines Flugkörpers zur Drohnenbekämpfung mit einem Fallschirm,

FIG 4

einen Flugkörper zur Drohnenbekämpfung mit einer Fadenladung zum Einfangen der Drohne,

FIG 5

eine Antriebsverriegelung am Heck eines Flugkörpers in verriegelter und in freigebender Stellung und

FIG 6

ein System aus mehreren Flugkörpern zur Drohnenbekämpfung mit unterschiedlichen Wirkkörpern.

Show it:

FIG 1

a missile to combat drones,

FIG 2

the missile launched from a launcher FIG 1 on the way to a drone to be intercepted,

FIG 3

a schematic representation of a missile for fighting drones with a parachute,

FIG 4

a missile for fighting drones with a thread load to catch the drone,

FIG 5

a drive lock on the tail of a missile in locked and in releasing positions and

FIG 6

a system of several missiles for fighting drones with different active bodies.

FIG 1 shows a missile 2 for combating drones, which is designed as a rocket missile with a rocket motor as drive 4. Instead of a rocket engine as the drive 4, a propeller drive with an electric motor fed by a battery or a rechargeable battery is also possible. Such a propeller drive can also be combined with the following description. The missile 2 is a guided missile with steering blades 6, which are rotatable in their entire outer surface by an actuator (not shown), which is arranged between a housing 8 and the drive 4. The four steering drives are controlled by a control unit 10, which is arranged behind a seeker head 12, which has an optical viewfinder 14 and an image detector (not shown) for capturing images of a drone to be intercepted. In order to enable a longer glider flight even without a propulsion feed, the missile 2 is also equipped with a gliding wing 16, which has a lift profile similar to that of aircraft.

The missile 2 is designed to prevent a drone to be intercepted from continuing to fly and for this purpose comprises an active body 18 in a payload chamber 20 FIG 1 The embodiment shown, the active body 18 is a high-explosive grenade with rubber shot and a front impact fuse. Correspondingly, the active body 18 is arranged with its front impact fuse on an ignition trigger 22 which, when triggered, simulates an impact of the active body 18, so that it detonates. For this purpose, the ignition trigger 22 contains a mechanism which strikes the percussion fuse of the active body 18 from the front. The entire active body package comprising active body 18 and ignition trigger 22 is arranged at an interface 24 for signal transmission to control unit 10, so that ignition trigger 22 can be triggered by control unit 10.

The payload chamber 20 further contains a parachute 26, which enables the missile 2 to float downward after its mission has been completed, held on the parachute 26, so that injury to persons by the falling missile 2 is counteracted.
FIG 2 shows the missile 2 after it has been launched from a missile launcher 28. The missile launcher 28 comprises a plurality of canisters, in each of which a missile 2 is stored. A control unit 30 of the missile launcher 28 can launch one or more missiles 2 one after the other. A plurality of such missile launchers 28 are arranged, for example, around a large event in such a way that the missile 2 can be launched without danger. The event site is monitored, for example, from the air or from an elevated location by one or more operators or automatically by means of one or more cameras. If a drone 32 approaches and it is decided that the drone 32 should be intercepted, an operator or a control unit transmits a command to start a missile 2 to the control unit 30 of the missile launcher 28. A missile 2 starts from a tube of the missile launcher 28, for example vertically upwards.

The missile 2 has a diameter of about 5 cm along its housing 8, and a tube of the missile launcher 28 has an outer diameter of about 7 cm. It is thus very easily possible to have a missile launcher with a single tube carried by an operator and shoot the missile 2 by hand, for example by pointing the missile launcher at the drone 32 and pulling a trigger, whereupon the missile 2 comes out of the missile launcher starts. For example, several operators in and around an event site can be equipped with such a missile launcher and shoot the missile 2 by hand in the event of a potential threat from a drone 32.

A third possibility consists in aligning the missile launcher 28 in the direction of the drone 32 before a missile 2 is launched, so that the drone 32 in the Seeker 14 of missile 2 appears visible. All three variants are briefly described below.

The missile 2 is intended to approach the drone 32 and either hit it directly or trigger its active body 18 in the immediate vicinity of it. Instead of a drone 32, it is generally also possible to fight or intercept another aircraft. In order to be able to approach the drone 32, it makes sense if the control unit 10 recognizes the drone 32 as such or classifies it as an object to be approached. If the viewfinder 14 is a rigid viewfinder, it is necessary for the missile 2 to be at least substantially aligned with the drone 32 in order to image it through the viewfinder 14 onto the detector. With a vertical start, as in FIG 2 In this respect, a preliminary instruction is necessary, which is transferred by the control unit 30 or another control unit to the missile 2 or its control unit 10. For example, a start trajectory is specified, along which the missile 2 flies until it automatically detects the drone 32. The launch trajectory can be calculated in a simple manner from the positions of the missile launcher 28 and the drone 32 as well as missile data.

Pre-instruction can be simplified if the missile launcher 28 is aimed at the drone 32 to be intercepted before the missile 2 is launched. Already during take-off or immediately afterwards, the drone 32 can be recognized by the viewfinder 14 of the missile 2 even without a change in direction of the missile 2 and the missile 2 can independently control the drone 32 immediately after take-off. The same also applies to a launch from a missile launcher carried by the operator, which is aimed at the drone 32 before the launch. The drone 32 can, for example, be targeted by optics of the missile launcher 28 or the manual missile launcher, and a marking can be logged on the image of the drone 32. The image marked in this way is transferred to the control unit 10 of the missile 2, which then independently searches for a comparable image through its viewfinder 14 and, once it is found, follows the corresponding image and thus the drone 32.

A preliminary instruction can be dispensed with entirely if the control unit 10 is set up to independently find a drone 32 to be intercepted. For this purpose, the control unit 10 can expediently classify a drone 32 as such and expediently also decide whether it should be intercepted. A A suitable decision criterion is a distance from the missile launcher 28 or a manual missile launcher to the drone 32. If no distance measurement is available, the distance can be estimated from the optical size of the drone 32 in the search image. If the drone 32 is closer than an interception distance 34 to the missile launcher 28, the drone 32 is intercepted. If the actual or estimated distance is greater than the interception distance 34, for example greater than 800 m, the drone 32 is not intercepted since the control unit 10 assumes that this is not the drone 32 to be intercepted recognized by an operator, since this is hardly visible due to the great distance. The control unit 10 will now search for another drone 32 to be intercepted with the aid of the seeker head 12.

If no such drone 32 to be intercepted is found or if the combat of the drone 32 is interrupted, for example by a command from the control unit 30, the mission is ended and the parachute 26 is ejected. Suspended on the parachute 26, the missile 2 slides downward, so that injury to people by a rapidly falling missile 2 is counteracted.

If the mission is to be carried out, however, the missile 2 flies directly to or in the vicinity of the drone 32 and triggers the active body 18 if it is located closer than an interception distance to the drone 32. The distance of the missile 2 to the drone 32 is estimated here by the control unit 10 on the basis of optical data from the seeker head 12, and the triggering of the active body 18 is also controlled by the control unit 10. For example, the active body 18 is triggered with its rubber shot and the drone 32 is destroyed as a result. After the active body 18 has been triggered, the parachute 26 is ejected and the missile 2 slides hanging on the parachute 26 to the ground.

Out FIG 1 it can be seen that the parachute 26 is accommodated within the housing 8 in front of the drive 4 in the direction of flight of the missile 2. In order to be able to deploy the parachute 26 reliably, it is desirable if it can be ejected to the rear. In order to make this possible, the drive 4 is held detachably in or on the housing 8. After the burn-up of the drive 4 or towards the end of the burn-up, the drive 4 is ejected to the rear, and a drive space 36 in which the drive 4 was positioned during take-off becomes free. For this purpose, the drive can be designed in such a way that, towards the end of its burn-up, it ejects combustion gases to the front, so that a high overpressure arises in front of the drive 4, through which the Drive 4 is ejected to the rear. Alternatively, an explosive device is possible, which is located in front of the drive 4 and pushes the drive 4 to the rear through the deployment of explosion gases. The burn-off gases can unfold freely or be held in a cushion, analogous to an airbag that ejects the drive 4 towards the rear. It is also possible to throw off the drive 4 together with the housing part surrounding it. Ejection of the drive 4 is shown schematically in FIG FIG 2 shown.

The drive space 36 is now free and the parachute 26 can be ejected to the rear through the drive space 36 by igniting or triggering an ejection element. This is shown schematically and by way of example in FIG 3 shown. Tangling of the parachute 26 on the steering blades 6 can be avoided in this way. The missile 2 can be reliably braked and gently brought back to the surface of the earth.

By dropping the drive 4, the active body 18, which can also include the parachute 26, receives an additional degree of freedom of action, since it can now be dropped to the rear through the drive space 36, which previously would not have been possible with the drive 4 placed there.

To protect people, for example at a major event, it makes sense not to simply let the intercepted drone 32 fall down, but rather to catch it and let it slide down the parachute 26. One possibility for this is the very close passage of the parachute 26 past the drone 32 to be intercepted, which is entangled in the ropes 38 or threads of the parachute 26 and is then caught by the latter. For this it makes sense to make the ropes 38 significantly longer than in FIG 3 is shown to facilitate capture of the drone 32.

In order to capture a drone 32 with the parachute 26 alone, the missile 2 must be steered very precisely close to the drone 32. In order to increase the radius of action, a safety net 40 can be attached to the parachute 26, which is driven even further radially outward by a corresponding aerodynamic configuration than the parachute 26 itself. Such a safety net 40 is in FIG 3 indicated only schematically by dashed lines.

Another possibility is to make the parachute 26 very large so that it extends radially very far around the missile 2. For this purpose, it can have a multiplicity of openings 42 in order to reduce its air resistance to a size appropriate for the missile 2.

Another way to capture a drone 32 is in FIG 4 shown. FIG 4 shows a missile 2, which is essentially analogous to the missile 2 from FIG 1 is constructed, but contains a different active body 18. The following description is essentially limited to the differences from the exemplary embodiment in FIG Figures 1 to 3 , to which reference is made for features and functions that remain the same. In order not to have to repeat what has already been described, all features of a previous exemplary embodiment are generally adopted in each of the following exemplary embodiments without being described again, unless features are described as differences from the previous exemplary embodiment.

The missile 2 from FIG 4 comprises a thread load 44 with a multiplicity of threads 46. The threads 46 are fastened at their front end to the seeker head 12 either directly or indirectly and are connected at their rear end to a weight 48, in this exemplary embodiment housing parts of the housing 8 In the ejector shown in the form of a detonation charge, the housing 8 - controlled by the control unit 10 at the time at which the missile 2 is in the vicinity of the drone 32 - was blown up in the area around the payload chamber 20. In order to facilitate a defined breaking apart, the housing 8 has predetermined breaking lines in the area of the payload chamber 20, along which the housing 8 breaks apart when the ejector is triggered into a multiplicity of housing elements that serve as weights 48. Each of the housing elements defined by the predetermined breaking lines is connected to at least one thread 46 and, due to its high kinetic energy gained during the explosion, carries this far radially outward, so that a large radius of action of the missile 2 is achieved. As a result, the drone 32 to be intercepted can be hit by threads 46 that are entangled in at least one rotor of the drone 32 even if the control is only relatively imprecise. The drone 32, which is thereby tied to the missile 2, is carried along by the missile 2 and crashes in order to then, bound to the missile 2, float down with it on the parachute 26. A holding element 50, for example a holding rod, can prevent the missile 2 from breaking when the housing 8 explodes and the front part with the seeker head 12 falls down in an uncontrolled manner.

In order to increase the radius of action of the missile 2 even further, the detonation of the housing 8 can take place in such a way that it is pushed outward first or more at the front than further back. The air flowing around the missile 2 from the front engages the bursting housing elements and additionally drives them radially outward.

If it is not necessary for the drone 32 to be tied to the missile 2 in order to slide down with it on the parachute 26, the threads 46 can also be thrown out loosely, that is to say not attached to the missile 2. In this embodiment, too, weights 48, for example as housing elements, can pull the threads 46 outward, alternatively without the weights 48, and the threads are only driven outward by a corresponding detonation charge. The drone 32 becomes entangled in the threads 46 with one or more rotors and crashes. The threads can form a thread network, that is to say they can be linked to one another several times, so that the threads 46 counteract the drone 32 slipping through. The net wraps around the drone 32 and holds it in place.

In a simpler embodiment, the thread load 44 or the threads 46 can be ejected to the rear through the drive space 36. In each case it is useful if the parachute 26 - if present - is placed in front of the thread load in the payload chamber 20 so that the threads 46 can first be ejected and then the parachute 26 can then be ejected through the drive space 36.

FIG 5 shows a possibility for locking and releasing the drive 4 in the drive space 36. The rear part of the missile 2 is shown with schematically drawn steering wings 6. If the missile 2 is still in a tube of the missile launcher 28, the steering wings 6 are folded in around a compact one To enable arrangement in the missile launcher 28. This is in the top drawings of FIG 5 shown, from the side (left illustration) and from behind (right illustration). The steering wings 6 are folded in against a spring force and unfold as soon as the rear part of the missile 2 has left the tube or the missile launcher 28. The steering wings fold out, as in the illustrations below FIG 5 is shown.

As shown in the schematic diagram FIG 5 As can be seen, each steering wing 6 carries a drive lock 52, for example in the form of a nose, which is rigidly connected to the rest of the steering wing 6. If the steering wing 6 folds out, the position of the drive lock 52 of the steering wing 6 also changes. If the steering wings 6 are folded in, the drive locks 52 grip radially inward and form a form fit behind the drive 4, as shown in FIG FIG 5 , upper right illustration can be seen. The drive 4 cannot fall out to the rear and is held securely in the missile launcher 28 during its storage. After the missile 2 has taken off, the steering wings fold out and the drive locks 52 fold radially outwards, as in the lower right-hand part of FIG FIG 5 is shown. The drive 4 is now released to the rear and can fall out. During its push or burn, however, the drive 4 pushes forward to a sufficient extent to reliably prevent it from falling out. The drive 4 is only ejected when it finishes its advance or by an ejection unit, as described above, or when it ejects itself through its thrust reversal.

When the parachute 26 is ejected backwards through the drive space 36, it makes sense if the drive was ejected well before reaching the drone 32 so that the missile 2 does not shoot past the drone 32. If the speed is too high, catching with the parachute 26, a safety net 40 or the threads 46 could fail by tearing off the corresponding device. In this respect, it is advantageous if the drive 4 only drives very briefly and the missile 2 flies the rest of the distance sailing and without drive in the direction of the drone 32. For this purpose, the drive 4 and the weight and aerodynamics of the missile 2 are coordinated with one another in such a way that the drive 4 only drives or burns over a maximum predetermined period of time. A pushing distance 54 or burnout distance is expediently less than 200 m, in particular less than 100 m. With the same advantage, a pushing or burning time of the drive 4 is a maximum of 3 seconds, in particular a maximum of 2 seconds. The drive 4 is ejected early and the missile 2 is available for intercepting the drone 32 after a short time.

Drones 32 are simple units that can be obtained from a model shop with little money. In order to combat a drone 32 efficiently, the manufacture of a missile 2 for combating drones should therefore also be as inexpensive as possible respectively. FIG 6 shows several measures with which inexpensive production is facilitated.

FIG 6 shows three missiles 2, which are identical except for the contents of the payload chamber 20. The in FIG 6 The missile 2a shown at the top carries, as active body 18a, a grenade 56 with an impact fuse, such as a rubber shot grenade, which, for example, leads to FIG 1 is described. A parachute 26 how to FIG 1 described can be present, but does not have to be present. In general, the active body 18 can be a projectile, in particular a grenade 56. In the embodiment 2a from FIG 6 the active body 18 is a grenade 56, as it is fired by a conventional grenade launcher 58. For this purpose, the grenade 56 is in a cartridge 60, which houses a propellant for firing the grenade 56 from the grenade launcher 58. To simplify the manufacture of the missile 2a, the ammunition of the grenade launcher 58 can now be used as an active body 18a in the missile 2a. For this purpose, the grenade 56, for example, is separated from the cartridge 60 and inserted into the payload chamber 20. In-house production of an active body 18 for use in a missile 2 for combating drones can be dispensed with.

In the case of the missile 2b FIG 6 the active body 18b consists of a thread load 44 with a corresponding ejector and possibly also a parachute 26. In the embodiment 2c, the active body 18c is a parachute 26 with a safety net 40. All three active bodies 18a-c are designed the same in such a way that they can be tool-free can be inserted through an opening in the housing 8 into the payload chamber 20 and fastened there, touching the interface 24 of the control unit 10 with a signal interface, so that a signal connection between the control unit 10 and the active body 18 is achieved. The active bodies 18 are all designed with the same maximum outer radius, which is matched to the capacity or the dimensions of the payload chamber 20. In this way, a missile 2 can be provided with the corresponding active charge 18 depending on the application, so that a very simple and inexpensive production of the missile 2 is made possible. For example, it is possible to deliver a large number of missiles 2 without active bodies 18 and to add a variation of active bodies. Before use, a decision can be made - possibly even on site - as to how the drone 32 is to be intercepted and which active body 18 is to be used in this respect. The active body can easily be inserted into the missile 2 or its payload chamber 20 without tools, and the missile 2 is ready for use.

List of reference symbols

2a - c

Missile

4th

drive

6th

Steering wing

8th

casing

10

Control unit

12th

Seeker head

14th

Viewfinder

16

Gliding wing

18a-c

Active body

20th

Payload chamber

22nd

Ignition trigger

24

interface

26th

Parachute

28

Missile launcher

30th

Control unit

32

drone

34

Interception distance

36

Drive room

38

rope

40

Safety net

42

opening

44

Thread load

46

thread

48

Weight

50

Retaining element

52

Drive interlocks

54

Starting distance

56

grenade

58

Grenade launcher

60

cartridge

Claims (15)

1. Aerial vehicle (2) for countering drones with a drive (4) and a housing (8) around the drive (4) and an active body (18) for damaging a drone (32), a seeker head (12) with an optical seeker (14) and a control unit (10) for drone detection, for controlling a flight to the detected drone (32) and for triggering the active body (18),
   characterized in that
   the drive (4) is held detachably with respect to the housing (8) in such a way that it can be ejected in flight, and the active body (18) is arranged relative to the drive (4) in such a way that it gains a degree of freedom of action as a result of the ejection.
2. Aerial vehicle (2) according to Claim 1,
   characterized
   by a parachute (26), which is arranged in a payload chamber (20) in front of the drive (4) in the direction of flight and which is designed together with a trigger in such a way that when it is triggered it is ejected rearwards through a drive chamber (36).
3. Aerial vehicle (2) according to Claim 1 or 2,
   characterized
   by at least one folding wing (6) for folding out after launch and for steering in flight, and a drive lock (52), which is connected to the folding wing (6) so that folding out of the folding wing (6) mechanically moves the drive lock (52) so that it releases the drive (4) for ejection, wherein a drive lock (52) is rigidly connected to a folding wing (6).
4. Aerial vehicle (2) according to any one of the preceding claims,
   characterized in that
   the drive (4) and the housing (8) are designed in such a way that the drive (4) can be freely ejected after being pushing rearwards during launch.
5. Aerial vehicle (2) according to any one of the preceding claims,
   characterized in that
   the drive (4) is designed in such a way that it is ejected from the housing (8) by its thrust reversal, wherein the drive (4) and the housing (8) are designed so that the drive (4), which is designed for propulsion over a predetermined period of time, develops a pressure in the housing (8) towards the end of the period that ejects the drive (4) from the housing (8).
6. Aerial vehicle (2) according to any one of the preceding claims,
   characterized
   by a weight and aerodynamics and in that the drive (4) is designed for propulsion over a predetermined period of time, which is dimensioned in combination with the weight and aerodynamics so that the drive (4) normally terminates its thrust after a maximum of 200 m flight distance after launch, in particular after max. 100 m.
7. Aerial vehicle (2) according to any one of the preceding claims,
   characterized
   by a payload chamber (20), in which the active body (18) and an ignition fuse (22) for igniting the active body (18) are arranged, wherein the active body (18) has an impact detonator, and the ignition fuse (22) contains a mechanism that simulates an impact on the active body (18) during triggering.
8. Aerial vehicle (2) according to any one of the preceding claims,
   characterized
   by a thread charge (44) and an ejector for ejecting the thread charge (44) containing a variety of threads (46).
9. Aerial vehicle (2) according to claim 8,
   characterized in that
   the thread charge (44) forms loose threads (46) or a thread mesh, weights (48) are attached to the threads (46) which are scattered during ejection, and the weights (48) are housing elements.
10. Aerial vehicle (2) according to claim 8 or 9,
    characterized in that
    the ejector and the housing (8) are designed so that during ejection the housing elements of the housing (8) are first moved apart in a front area and/or are moved further apart than in a more rearward area, so that prevailing wind around the housing (8) drives the housing elements apart.
11. System of multiple aerial vehicles according to any one of the preceding claims and multiple different active bodies (18),
    characterized in that
    the aerial vehicles (2) all have an identical payload chamber (20) in which the different active bodies (18) can be inserted and locked without the use of tools so that they can be ignited by the control unit (10).
12. System according to claim 11,
    characterized in that
    an ignition fuse (22) for igniting the active body (18) is arranged in each of the payload chambers (20), the ignition fuses (22) are different and adapted to the respective active body (18), and ignition fuses (22) and active bodies (18) each form a firmly connected package together in each aerial vehicle (2) and the packages are all uniform in their outer shape and interface to the control unit (10).
13. System of one or more aerial vehicles (2) according to any one of the preceding claims and a grenade launcher (58),
    characterized in that
    the grenade launcher (58) is equipped as ammunition with a cartridge (60) with a propellant and an active body (18) and the aerial vehicle (2) has an identical active body (18).
14. System according to claim 13,
    characterized in that
    the active body (18) is equipped with an impact ignition device and the aerial vehicle (2) has an ignition fuse (22) containing a mechanism that simulates an impact of the active body (18) when triggered, so that it detonates in the aerial vehicle (2).
15. Method for countering a drone, with which an aerial body (2) is launched and an active body (18) of the aerial vehicle (2) is triggered as soon as the aerial vehicle (2) flies to a predetermined position relative to a drone (32) and at least damages the drone (32), wherein a seeker head (12) of the aerial vehicle (2) detects the drone (32) with an optical seeker (14),
    characterized in that
    a drive (4) of the aerial vehicle (2) is ejected from a housing (8) before triggering of the active body (18) and the active body (18) acts through a drive chamber (36), in which the drive (4) was stored before ejection.

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