GB2132740A - Weapons system - Google Patents

Abstract

A weapons system comprises a gun 1 and laser 2 mounted in spaced relationship on a ship 3. The gun is directed to lay a path of fire 4 through the predicted line of flight 5 of an attacking aircraft 6. To effectively combat the aircraft 6 the shells fired may be standard, with impact or proximity fuses, but additionally have sensors responsive to the laser beam 7. Thus firing the laser will cause a shell to detonate when same intercepts the beam. The laser beam may be pulsed or continuous. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION A weapons system This invention relates to a weapons system and more particularly to a system incorporating a shell firing gun or self-propelled missile launcher. With guns used primarily for antiaircraft or anti-missile duties and being of the rapid firing kind shells are used having proximity or time-delay or altitude sensing fuses as well as simple impact fuses. It is known to set such fuses just prior to launch but with velocities of targets being of an order comparable with the velocities of larger shells anticipation is required as nothing can be done to change fuse settings in flight. With proximity fuses there is much uncertainity of effect especiaily with engagement of different targets in rapid succession. A further disadvantage is that a direct hit could have occurred but the proximity or delay fuse caused unnecessary premature detonation.

This invention seeks to provide a relatively simple system whereby detonation of a shell or missile can be effected in flight and selectively without necessarily affecting the normal operation of the shell and at an accurately defined point along the trajectory.

According to this invention there is provided a weapons system comprising in operative combination: a) a shell firing gun or missile launching device, b) a laser, and c) a shell or missile incorporating laser radiating detecting means; wherein, the gun or launching device is layed to place the shell or missile trajectory through a required target window, the laser is located remote from the gun or launching device and directed to intercept the window at a defined point along the projected trajectory and to effect response of the detecting means at said point.

With such an arrangement the shells used or the missiles may perform in their normal function but include a detector to cause detonation when a laser impulse is received. The detector not otherwise affecting operation. By using a relatively high power laser for example a multi-kilowatt C02 laser the detector can be very simple and robust and atmospheric attenuation can be reduced by appropriate wavelength selection. With such a system the ammunition used can be of a standard kind but with inclusion of detector which is thus ineffective when the ammunition is used in other weapon systems.

By spacing the gun and laser along a base line of appropriate dimension in relation to the target the point of detonation can be accurately defined in three planes. The shells or missiles may be directed to the target window by a radar tracking and aiming system, especially in the case of rapid fire guns, and the laser used to cause precise positional detonation. Thus by leading or anticipating the target an intense conflagration of detonating shells can be set-up and maintained through which the target must pass with continuous adjustment being possible instantly in range.

Preferably a target tracking and ranging system effects control of the gun laying and laser aiming in accordance with the predicted line of flight of the target and the intersection therewith of a shell or one of a series of rapidly fired shells. Such a system may further control the firing or rate of fire to coordinate the positioning of a shell with the target. The laser may be simply aimed and if necessary stabilised by directing the beam off a movable and stabilised mirror which offers low inertia and rapid control. The beam maybe split into several separate beams used for a number of independently operating gun systems and the laser may be remotely located and protected with appropriate beams passing to separate controlling systems. The beam and gun laying may be optically tracked with the target especially with surface skimming targets.

The system according to the invention is principally for combat against high speed aerial targets where accurate proximity detonation is required in the path of the target.

The system can be used however in more conventional shelling operations to effect accurately ranged aerial bursting of missiles or shells over targets. The laser can be incorporated into an optical tracking system for manual selection and follow-up of the target or detonation point.

The invention is further described in conjuntion with the accompanying drawings showing embodiments. In the drawings: Figure 1 shows in plan and schematically a ship-board system Figure 2 shows the system in elevation, and Figure 3 shows a shell with a detector means.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2 the system comprises a gun 1 and laser 2 mounted in spaced relationship on a ship 3. The gun is directed to lay a path of fire 4 through the predicted line of flight 5 of an attacking aircraft 6. With a low-flying aircraft the prediction will involve mainly only elevation assessment as the height of the aircraft during an attacking phase must necessarily be almost constant. Due to the inertial effect between firing the gun and the shell or missile reaching the target line 5 leading the target is esential and instantaneous alteration of the point of interception following-a new prediction in the line of flight is not possible. Thus the gun system alone can not respond to a rapid change in flight path.If the flight path changes only in range as seen by the gun then effective adjustment can be made through the laser 2 which has the beam 7 directed by computing means to the intersection between lines 4 and 5. The direction can be via a mirror or prismatic system 8 which has extreemly fast response. To effectively combat the aircraft 6 the shells fired may be standard, with impact or proximity fuses, but additionaly have sensors responsive to the laser beam 7. Thus firing the laser will cause a shell to detonate when same intercepts the beam. The beam may be pulsed or continuous.

A shell is shown in Fig. 3. This includes detector means 30 around the base which responds to detected laser radiation. By using multi-kilowatt lasers the beam contains high energy and thus the detector can be relatively insensitive and may rely simply on a reduction of resistance to detonate the charge or on the laser fusing or chemically changing the state of a compound. Such a compound may be plated or bonded to the base of the shell.

The divergence of the laser beam may be adapted to the angle of spread of the gun to ensure interception of any one shell. In an alternative arrangement the shells themselves are tracked by radar, or by a tracer, and this data is fed to a computer means also fed with information from a target tracking radar. The laser is then directed to produce bursting of the shell at the computed best possible point in relation to the target.

The detector means in the shell may comprise a cadmium sulphide material or a gas cell which is ionised by the laser radiation, The invention can be used with rapidly fire shells to produce an intense conflagratioon of exploding shells at a defined point into which the target must fly or a single large shell may be used appropriately fired to intersect the target with precise detonation being effected by the laser along the trajectory of the shell.

Due to the relative insensitivity of the detector means 30 in the shell response to background radiation is minimal and if necessary modulation may be applied to the laser beam with a suitable detector carried by the shell. If the shell is spin stabilised the spin itself may be used in conjunction with pulsed modulation applied to the laser at or near the rate of spin. Thus with a plurality of detectors around the shell base and with pulsed radiation from the laser only one detector should receive radiation at each revolution. Detonation being inhibited if more than one detector responds to radiation simultaneously.

Claims (5)

1. A weapons system comprising in operative combination: a) a shell firing gun or missile launching device, b) a laser, and c) a shell or missile incorporating laser radiating detecting means: wherein the gun or lauchina device i lt d to solace the shell or missile trajectory through a required target window, the laser is located remote from the gun or launching device and directed to intercept the window at a defined point along the projected trajectory and to effect response of the detecting means at said point.

2. A system in accordance with Claim 1, wherein a target tracking and ranging system effects control of the gun laying and laser aiming in accordance with the predicted line of flight of the target and the inter-section therewith of a shell or one of a series of rapidly fired shells.

3. A system in accordance with Claim 2, wherein the target tracking system further controls the firing or rate of fire to coordinate the positioning of a shell with the target.

4. A weapons system as herein described and as shown in the accompanying drawings.

5. A method of attacking aerial targets as described herein.