GB2149066A

GB2149066A - Overhead attack missile

Info

Publication number: GB2149066A
Application number: GB08327734A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Michel Schilling; Bernard Martiquet; Marc Reuche
Original assignee: Luchaire SA
Current assignee: Luchaire SA
Priority date: 1982-10-11
Filing date: 1983-10-17
Publication date: 1985-06-05
Also published as: GB2149066B; FR2534370B1; GB8327734D0; DE3337987C2; DE3337987A1; FR2534370A1

Abstract

A missile for attacking a target from overhead comprises a war-head which, when the missile is above the target, pivots downwards towards the target. The war-head is pivoted by means of a radial impeller and may be separated completely from the missile body, Fig. 2, or remain pivoted thereto, Fig. 4. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Appliance for overhead attack on targets The present invention relates to appliances for overhead attack on targets, particularly armoured vehicles.

For the purpose of combating armoured vehicles, the tendency has been, for some years, towards the use of appliances which, unlike conventional appliances, do not directly attack, along a straight line, the end faces or side faces of the armoured vehicle, which are theoretically strongly or skilfully protected; instead, the more modern appliances are designed to deliver an overhead attack on the armoured vehicle so as to reach the surfaces of such a target that are of much more vulnerable construction.

The appliances of this new generation are therefore fired or launched along a trajectory which causes them to be brought to a position above the armoured vehicle, on to the upper surface of which they are then directed at the required moment and distance.

According to the present invention, there is provided an appliance for overhead attack on targets, said appliance comprising a war-head and a body connected therewith, the appliance being launched or fired along a trajectory which brings it to a position above the target in such a way that, when it is vertically or substantially vertically above the target during its overhead flight, only the war-head is directed towards the target.

In a first embodiment of the invention, the appliance is made up of two parts, one of which contains or constitutes the war-head and is provided with at least one means, such as an impeller, which at the required point in the trajectory causes the appliance to dip onto the armoured vehicle, the body of the appliance being formed by or provided with at least one means for separating the two parts of the appliance, so that only the war-head is directed towards the target.

In another embodiment of the invention, the war-head is mounted to pivot in the body of the appliance in such a way that, at the required point in its trajectory and under the action of an impeller, it is caused to move out of the appliance toward the target formed by the armoured vehicle.

The various features and advantages of the invention will be seen from the following description of two possible forms of construction. It will be understood that these are simply examples and that other arrangements could be used within the ambit of the invention.

In this description, reference will be made to the attached drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a diagrammatic longitudinal section through a first form of construction of an appliance in accordance with the invention; Figure 2 is a diagrammatic view showing how the appliance functions; and Figures 3 and 4, which are similar to Figs.

1 and 2 illustrate a second form of construction of such an appliance.

In the example illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, the appliance comprises a body 1 made up of two parts: a rear part A (see Fig. 2) and a front part B, which are interconnected in such a way that, under the conditions to be described later, they are able to separate from each other. In the present case, for instance, they are interconnected by a zone of reduced thickness in the body 1, this zone being indicated diagrammatically at a.

The rear part A comprises a vane unit 2 and an impeller means 3 for accelerating the appliance or causing it to cruise.

The front part B is provided with a hollow charge 4, set off by a pyrotechnical fuse 5, to which is connected a verticality detector 6 and an optoelectronic detector 7 which is associated with a reflector 8. Housed in a nose 1 a, connected to the body 1 of the appliance, are a radial impeller means 9 and a generator 10 which is connected to the impeller means and is adapted to provide all or part of the energy that is required by the various electrical units of the appliance. The generator is caused to rotate because of the rotation imparted to the appliance for stabilising it on its trajectory.

The radial impeller 9 and the sighting system (reflector 8), however, rotate separately since, in the present example, they are mounted on bearings 11. They are stabilised in a vertical position by their own imbalance.

The hollow charge 4 is primed by the fuse 5 at the moment when the front portion of the appliance A is turned towards the target in a substantially vertical direction. This direction can be determined by a system connected to the fuse, such as the verticality detector 6 in the present example.

Fig. 2 illustrates the successive stages in the trajectory followed by the appliance when moving towards an armoured vehicle c. Initially, the appliance follows an overhead approach trajectory (positions I and II). The optoelectronic detector 7, constantly receiving current, emits, at regular intervals, approach sig nals directed by the reflector 8. The angle of detection is so selected that the armoured vehicle is located early enough to enable timing to proceed correctly.

The detector must "recognise" the armoured vehicle and should not be influenced by any small piece of metal that may be in the area. For this reason it has several successive signal pips for initiating the following train of events (positions III and IV): -the radial impeller means 9 applies a thrust such that the nose begins to pivot downwardly, thereby breaking the appliance at its middle because of the presence of the zone 1 a of reduced thickness in the body 1; -the speed at which the head pivots is increased by the combined action of the aero dynamic forces applied to the device and by the action of the impeller 9.

The war-head having then been brought into the required position and place (position V), the hollow charge is primed and ignited.

The hollow charge may be primed in two ways: from a distance by a verticality detector or an overhead attack retarding system; alternatively, priming occurs upon impact when the tip of the nose comes into contact with the armoured vehicle. This feature enables the hollow charge to be primed during a greater period of time.

In the present example, the non-rotating part of the appliance, i.e. that part containing the impeller and the reflector, is considered as being stabilised by its own imbalance.

Stabilisation as regards rotation is directly associated with the moment of inertia of the stabilised element, with the return torque applied by the imbalance and with the frictionresisting torque and/or the rolling torque in the connection.

The connection between the non-rotating part of the appliance and the part thereof to which a rotary movement is imparted must provide a precise angular reference (verticality of the detection plane) and must function in conditions of rapid acceleration.

This connection can be achieved by means of bearings which must meet the following requirements: -they must oppose the angular acceleration to which the appliance is subjected on launching; -they must resist the transverse and axial accelerations to which the appliance is subjected during the launching and flight stages; -they must have a very low friction and/or rolling coefficient; -they must have a shock-abosrbing coefficient during rotation that is great enough to stabilise the imbalance in a rapid manner; and -their mass and dimensions must be small so as not to impart inhibitive mass and dimensions to the appliance.

For the purpose of meeting these requirements, any type of bearing or abutment can be used without departing from the framework of the invention:fluid bearings using a gas, wherein the energy necessary for discharging the fluid can be generated upon launching of the appliance, either by displacement of a mass which, by inertia, compresses a gas enclosed in a chamber, or by a compressed-gas generator which is actuated upon launching of the appliance; #hydraulic bearings with either hydrostatic or hydrodynamic lubrication; or -magnetic bearings.

Use may also be made of various combinations of means mounted on rolling bearings such as abutment means and rolling bearings comprising balls, abutment means and bearings comprising needles, tapered roller bearings and oblique-contact bearings.

Furthermore, in the present example, the connection between the rear part of the appliance (containing the impeller and the guide system) and its front part (containing the warhead and the opto-electronic detector) may be such that, under the conditions dealt with above, it ensures separation of the two parts of the appliance.

This connection, which is heavily stressed, must meet the following requirements: -it must be abide to transmit the intensive acceleration resulting from the thrust of the impeller, from aerodynamic friction and from rotation as well as from the vibration to which the appliance is subjected during the various stages of its flight; it must keep the front and rear portions of the appliance in perfect alignment during the entire trajectory; its mass and dimensions must be as small as possible; and it should offer minimal resistance to the action of the impeller.

In the described appliance, said separation can be achieved by the simple mechanical effect of the impact of the impeller, by electrical or pyrotechnical disconnection or by any other suitable means.

In the embodiment illustrated in Fig. 3, the body of the appliance consists of two parts, namely a part C, to which a rotary movement is imparted, and a non-rotating part D. The rotating part contains an acceleration or cruising impeller 12 and is provided with vanes 13.

Housed in the non-rotating part are a pyrotechnical fuse 14 with safety means, a hollow charge 1 5 and a radial impeller 1 7. The hollow charge 1 5 is mounted to pivot about an axis 1 5a which is at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the appliance. The nonrotating part also contains an opto-electronic detector 1 6 and optionally, a generator 18, which is connected to the impeller 17, is caused to rotate and is adapted to provide ail or part of the energy required for the various items of equipment carried by the appliance.

The mode of operation is the same as that described in connection with the embodiment illustrated in Fig. 1, with the exception that, when the appliance is in position for attaching the armoured vehicle (position ill), the hollow charge 1 5 pivots under the effect of the impeller 1 7 and because of its being mounted along the axis 1 spa, so that it projects through, for example, a trap formed in the body of the appliance and thus allows a jet of hollow charge to be created under optimum conditions.

The above description regarding the connection between the rotating and non-rotating parts of the appliance also applies to this embodiment, and the same means may be used to achieve this connection. The example described for each of the two forms of construction relates to an anti-tank weapon for individual use by infantry. It is obvious that the invention is not limited to such example, and that it can be used in any appliance capable of being employed in combating armoured vehicles. Also the constructional arrangements that have been described are not, of course, the only ones that can be used, and the invention may comprise numerous variants that still fall within its scope. Thus, for example, a rotary movement need not be imparted to the appliance. It may be of constant calibre and may also be provided with a war-head having a calibre different from that of the impeller. The non-rotary part of the appliance that is stabilised by its own imbalance may be held in a fixed direction by any other mechanical aerodynamic or electrical means. Instead of the opto-electronic detector, use may be made of a magnetic detector, a Doppler-effect detector, or a laser detector.

The radial impeller, positioned at the tip of the nose of the appliance, may be located in some other place enabling the war-head to pivot.

Claims

1. An appliance for overhead attack on targets, said appliance comprising a war-head and a body connected therewith, the appliance being launched or fired along a trajectory which brings it to a position above the target in such a way that, when it is vertically or substantially vertically above the target during its overhead flight, only the war-head is directed towards the target.

2. An appliance according to claim 1 made of two parts, one of which contains or constitutes the war-head and is provided with at least one means, such as an impeller, which, in the vertical or substantially vertical position, causes the appliance to dip on to the target, and wherein the body of the appliance is formed by or provided with at least one means for separating the two parts of the appliance, only the war-head being directed towards the target.

3. An appliance according to claim 1 wherein the war-head is mounted to pivot in the body of the appliance in such a way that, at the required point in its trajectory and under the action of means such as an impeller, it is caused to be discharged from the appliance towards the target.

4. An appliance according to claim 2, which is gyrostatic during its trajectory, and wherein the war-head also contains a hollow charge and its ignition fuse, an opto-electronic detector system and a radially disposed impeller, as well as, optionally, a generator caused to rotate by the rotation of the appliance and adapted to supply energy to the sighting and fuse systems.

5. An appliance according to claim 4 further comprising a verticality detector which is connected to the fuse.

6. An appliance according to any one of claim 2, 4 or 5, wherein the connection between the war-head and the rest of the appliance is such as to keep the appliance in one piece as far as the required point in its trajectory, whilst permitting separation of the parts only under the effect of the impeller.

7. An appliance according to claim 6 wherein the connection between war-head and the rest of the appliance consists of a zone of reduced thickness which, at the point where it is located, causes separation of the two parts of the appliance by the simple mechanical effect of the impact determined by the operation of the impeller.

8. An appliance according to any one of claims 2 and 5 to 7 wherein the impeller and the part of the opto-electronic system which directs the impulses provided by the detector are isolated from the rotation imparted to the appliance by means such as hydraulic, magnetic and fluid bearings and abutment means and rolling means comprising balls.

9. An appliance according to claim 3 wherein the war-head of the appliance comprises, in addition to a hollow charge and its priming fuse, the radial impeller and a detection means, and is mounted at the level of the end of the covering of the hollow charge, along an axis perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the appliance.

1 0. An appliance according to any one of claims 3, 8 or 9 made of two parts, namely a front part forming the war-head and a rotationally stabilised rear part, the two parts being interconnected by one of the means specified in claim 8 and designed to withdraw the front part from the rotary action imparted to the rear part of the appliance.

11. An appliance for overhead attack on targets, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.