GB1605263A - Amphibious long-range aerial missile - Google Patents

Description

nd Eigendom

l 9 JAN 1 J 87 PATENT SPECIFICATION ( 21) Application No 53739/7 ( ( 22) Filed 11 November ll go ( 31) Convention Application No 6938131 C 4 ( 32) Filed 13 November 1969 in k Q ( 33) France (FR) C ( 44) Complete Specification Published 28 Jan 1987 -/ ( 51) INT CL 4 1605263 F 42 B 17/00 ( 52) Index at Acceptance F 3 A 10 A 10 E 1 OF IOU ( 72) No Inventors ( 54) AMPHIBIOUS LONG-RANGE AERIAL MISSILE ( 71) We, SOCIETE NATIONALE INDUSTRIELLE AEROSPATIALE of 37, boulevard de Montmorency, Paris 16 eme, Seine, France, a French Joint-Stock Company, organised and existing under the laws of France, do hereby declare the invention for which we pray that a patent may be granted to us, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and

by the following statement:-

The present invention relates to an amphibious missile and more particularly to a missile which can be launched from a submerged submarine against a surface vessel, control over the missile's trajectory being maintained both over the underwater portion and the aerial portion thereof.

Heretofore missiles launched by submarines have been essentially conventional missiles which compel the submarine to run the risk of surfacing in order to effect the launching.

In addition to the torpedoes available to submerged submarines are missiles launched from vertical tubes, part of the trajectory of which takes place through the air against distant strategic targets, and also tactical antisubmarine missiles.

According to the invention there is provided a method of launching a long-range aerial tactical missile from a submerged submarine, characterized by hermetically enclosing the missile in an envelope with its wings and control surfaces folded, launching the envelope from the submarine, propelling the envelope under the water, continuously controlling the underwater trajectory and the initial part of the aerial trajectory of the envelope by means of jet spoilers governed by an inertia-type data generator, ensuring emergence of the envelope from the water with a predetermined longitudinal velocity and at a predetermined angle to the horizontal, triggering release of the aerial missile from its envelope at a predetermined altitude above sea level, extending the wings and control surfaces of the missile and guiding the same to the target.

The invention also comprehends a vehicle for launching a long-range aerial tactical missile from a submerged submarine, comprising an envelope for enclosing a missile with the wings and control surfaces of the missile folded, a piston located near one end 50 of the envelope to be engaged by the rear of the missile and to define a motor compartment housing an underwater propulsion unit with a nozzle and jet spoilers, control means for controlling the jet spoilers, and pressure 55 sensitive means operable to supply gases from the propulsion unit to the piston and thereby apply thrust to the missile to drive its nose through the nose of the envelope.

The present invention accordingly provides 60 a new long-range weapon against surface vessels, in the form of an amphibious tactical missile which describes an initial underwater trajectory and a subsequent aerial trajectory, the aerial missile proper being initially 65 enclosed in an underwater impelling envelope the attitude of which is continuously controlled in order to ensure that the critical intermediate zone of rough surface seas is crossed at an 7 angle, for example, of thirty degrees to the 7 horizon, said envelope opening at the required moment in order to release the aerial missile.

With its range of approximately thirty-eight kilometres, the aerial missile provides the submarine with an effective range which 75 completely outclasses all existing types of torpedoes (which have a range not exceeding ten kilometres) whenever the sonar data are precise enough to permit at least partial localization of the target Further, current 80 sonars have relatively good long-range capabilities often allied to reasonable accuracy in azimuth but poor ranging accuracy, in which case the azimuthal accuracy alone may suffice for the missile and its homing system 85 may be adapted to search for the designated surface target without accurate knowledge of the range thereof.

In addition, a missile the major part of the trajectory of which takes place through the air 90 can easily be projected at considerable speed, for example 300 metres per second (as oppposed to 25 metres per second in the case of a torpedo), thereby enabling it to reach its target in a very short time and considerably 9 reducing the possibility of the target taking evasive action or countermeasures The range from which a submarine can attack a surface vessel is thus considerably increased, at the same time as the advantage of being undetected 100 1 605 263 by remaining submerged is retained by the submarine.

In order that the invention may he more clearly understood one embodiment thereof will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure I is a diagrammatic showing of the trajectory of an amphibious missile according 0 to the invention, launched by a submarine; Figure 2 is a diagrammatic sectional view of the amphibious missile of Figure l; Figure 3 is a section taken through the line Il I-11 of Figure 2; and Figure 4 is a diagrammatic sectional view along IV-IV of Figure 2.

Reference to Figure I shows a submarine I submerged to a depth p of fifty metres for example, launching horizontally from a conventional tube a composite vehicle according to this invention, designated overall by reference numeral 2.

Such a composite vehicle 2 initially follows the underwater trajectory 3 which intercepts the surface of the sea 4 at 5 with the vehicle at a nose-up angle x, of thirty degrees for example, after which said vehicle releases at an altitude h an aerial mimssile 6 which continues its trajectory in conventional fashion.

In order to be able to launch from a submarine a missile which is not in itself watertight under pressure, there is provided in accordance with the present invention a watertight launching envelope 10 enclosing the missile, which envelope is ejected from a submarine torpedo-tube by any one of the methods well known in the torpedo art, such as by means of compressed air or a rammer.

Consequently, launching envelope 10 may have the same dimensions as torpedo-tubes, for example the customary torpedo diameter 533 millimetres ( 21 inches), making it necessary for the aerial missile 6 to have its wings 32 and control surfaces 33 folded within its launching envelope 10 (Figure 1).

In order to permit control over the position and direction of composite vehicle 2, the invention provides for the use of a simplified inertial data generator 14, well known per se, fixed in the missile 6 itself or in the launch envelope 10 The underwater vehicle is driven by a populsion unit 7, of the solid-propellant type for instance, which is housed in a motor compartment and the thrust from which is vectored by jet spoilers 8 which stabilize the underwater trajectory of the vehicle about the pitch and yaw axes Stabilization about the roll axis is not provided because missile 6 is itself roll-stabilized upon issuing from the launch vehicle 10 at 20, and thereafter automatically reverts to its correct flight attitude in roll irrespective of any list it may have had when it emerged from said vehicle.

Underwater vehicle 2 includes in its rear motor compartment 9 amplifiers for controlling the jet spoilers 8 and a computer for giving commands to said amplifiers, which amplifiers and computer are contained in an electronics 70 housing 11, and a source of electric power such as a thermal battery 12.

The computer in housing 11 processes data from the launching submarine I which is stored prior to launch in a computer 13 of the 75 missile 6.

The feature of this invention whereby composite vehicle 2 is self-propelled on issuing from submarine I instead of rising to the surface solely under the upward thrust developed in accordance with Archimedes' 80 principle, is advantageous not so much because of the speed increment imparted by the underwater propulsion unit as because it avoids having underwater vehicle 2 break surface at 5 in a random configuration 85 probably near-vertical-which would present missile 6 with the problem of selecting the correct vertical launching plane.

Preferred conditions for breaking from the surface of the water are, approximately, a 90 nose-up attitude of thirty degrees and a longitudinal velocity of twenty-five metres per second.

These conditions should ensure minimum disruption upon exit from the water in rough 95 seas, while at the same time ensuring that the missile remains within acceptable limits for the peak altitude at 28 before its aerial trajectory blends with the low-altitude horizontal portion 38 thereof, which peak altitude must 100 remain moderate in order to avoid detection of the missile by enemy radar or optical detection devices.

Considering next the separation of the missile 6 from its envelope 10, provision is 105 made for controlling such separation by dynamic-pressure-sensitive means, which pressure diminishes enormously when the composite missile breaks from the surface of the water This separation means cause 110 opening of a door 16 provided on the front end-closure of underwater propulsion unit 7.

The gases which thereupon issue from door 16 exert pressure on missile 6 in the direction of arow fl through the agency of a piston 17 as 115 a rersult of which the nose-cone 18 of missile 6 thrusts open a forward door 19 of the envelope and missile 6 emerges as at 20, the fragments of the forward door 19 falling away as shown at 34 120 The booster stage 21 of missile 6 is ignited by a time-delay device (not shown) which is activated after the rear section 22 of the missile has passed through the front section 23 of envelope 10, whereupon the missile 125 continues its trajectory under its own power in the same way as a conventional missile launched at an elevation angle of thirty degrees.

Once door 16 has opened, the gases from 130 1 605 263 underwater propulsion unit 7 exert in compartment 36 a rearwardly directed thrust which brakes the motion of envelope 10, rapidly cancels out the velocity thereof and causes it to fall back into the sea at a point 39 (Figure I), a short horizontal distance a away from a vertical dropped from separation point 20.

The launch vehicle 2 as a whole is shown in Figure 2 The launch vehicle is of cylindrical shape with a diameter D of, say, 533 millimetres ( 21 inches), and terminates at its front end in a nose-cone 26 of elliptical profile It is provided with a number of stabilizers 40 which are extended after it issues from the torpedo-tube.

When its wings 32 and control surfaces 33 are folded, missile 6 can be inscribed in a circle of diameter d, thereby making it possible to impart to the launch vehicle wall a thickness Dpd consistent with the hydrostatic pressure.

The vehicle 2 at launch has an overall length L of under seven metres, so that its aspect ratio is in the region of thirteen.

Figure 4 shows the arrangement of the jet spoilers 8 in the rear part of the compartment 9 of envelope 10 The vane 29 on the inner end of each of the four jet spoilers 8 is caused to shift from the interior to the exterior of nozzle 25, or vice versa, depending on the commands from the computer in electronics housing 11, whereby to stabilize the vehicle 2 in the desired direction during its underwater trajectory 3.

Visible on Figure 3 are the sustainer nozzle and the booster nozzles 31 of missile 6 The wings 32 are folded to allow the missile to fit into envelope 10, and their extended positions and those of the rear control surfaces 33 are shown respectively in dot-dash lines at 32 ' and 33 ' (after the missile reaches position 20).

When submerged, submarine 1 is in principle capable of furnishing the missile with the same data as those customarily supplied by a surface vessel, and this with satisfactory accuracy Such data include the direction and if possible the range of the target, and the vertical-datum and speed of the launching submarine.

Preferably, the depth to which the submarine submerges should be included between a periscope depth of approximately fifteen metres and a maximum depth of eighty metres The speed of the submarine at launch is preferably under five metres per second and launching is effected through a torpedo-tube approximately parallel to the fore-aft axis of the submarine and almost invariably close to the horizontal.

It will be appreciated that this invention makes it possible to continuously control the attitude of missile 6 from the moment it is launched from the torpedo-tube until it impacts the target Such control is exercised through the medium of the inertial data generator 14 of missile 6, which operates throughout the duration of the trajectory and permits generation of the commands to be given:

initially to launch vehicle 2 via the jet spoilers 8 which partly intercept the gas exhausting from underwater propulsion unit 7 throughout the underwater trajectory 3 and the initial part of the aerial trajectory 15, thereby to ensure correct emergence from the water in the chosen direrction, that is to say in principle with a nose-up angle of thirty degrees, and making it possible to correct any trajectory deviations due to the state of the sea at the instant of emergence therefrom; and thereafter to missile 6 itself, which is roll-stabilized by its four aerodynamic control surfaces 33.

Claims (13)

WHAT WE CLAIM IS:

1 A method of launching a long-range aerial tactical missile from a submerged submarine, characterized by hermetically enclosing the missile in an envelope with its wings and control surfaces folded, launching the envelope from the submarine, propelling the envelope under the water, continuously controlling the underwater trajectory and the initial part of the aerial trajectory of the envelope by means of jet spoilers governed by an inertia-type data generator, ensuring emergence of the envelope from the water with a predetermined longitudinal velocity and at a predetermined angle to the horizontal, triggering release of the aerial missile from its envelope at a predetermined altitude above sea level, extending the wings and control surfaces of the missile and guiding the same to the target.

2 A vehicle for launching a long-range aerial tactical missile from a submerged submarine, comprising an envelope for enclosing a missile with the wings and control surfaces of the missile folded, a piston located near one end of the envelope to be engaged by the rear of the missile and to define a motor compartment housing an underwater propulsion unit with a nozzle and jet spoilers, control means for controlling the jet spoilers, and pressure sensitive means operable to supply gases from the propulsion unit to the piston and thereby apply thrust to the missile to drive its nose through the nose of the envelope.

3 A vehicle according to Claim 2, in combination with a long-range aerial tactical missile housed within the envelope with its wings and control surfaces folded, and with the rear of the missile abutting against said piston.

4 A vehicle according to Claim 2 or Claim 3, wherein the underwater propulsion unit has a front end closure with a door in that closure, and the pressure sensitive means is operable to 1 60)5 263 open that door and thereby trigger release of the missile at a predetermined altitude above sea level.

5 A vehicle according to any one of Claims 2 to 4, wherein the underwater propulsion unit is of the solid-propellant type.

6 A vehicle according to any one of Claims 2 to 5, wherein the outer diameter of the envelope is equal to that of a conventional underwater torpedo.

7 A vehicle according to any one of Claims 2 to 6, wherein said control means includes an electronic control circuit and a thermal battery for supplying power to the control circuit.

8 A vehicle acording to Claim 7, wherein the control circuit includes a computer fixed within the envelope.

9 A vehicle according to any one of Claims 2 to 8, wherein the control means includes an inertia-type data generator fixed in the envelope.

A vehicle according to Claim 3, including control means in the missile connected to and operable to control the jet spoilers.

11 A vehicle according to Claim 10, wherein said control means in the missile includes a computer or an inertia-type data generator housed in the missile.

12 A method of launching a long-range aerial tactical missile from a submerged submarine, substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

13 A vehicle for launching a long-range aerial tactical missile, constructed and arranged to operate substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

PAGE, WHITE & FARRER, Chartered Patent Agents, 27, Chancery Lane, London, WC 2 A INT.

Agents for the Applicants.

Printed for Her Majesty's Stationery Office by MML Walderslade Kent 1985 Published at the Patent Office.

Southampton Buildings London WC 2 l AY, from which copies may he obtained.