GB2168793A

GB2168793A - Weapon systems

Info

Publication number: GB2168793A
Application number: GB08432524A
Authority: GB
Inventors: John Robert Pearce
Original assignee: EMI Ltd
Current assignee: EMI Ltd
Priority date: 1984-12-21
Filing date: 1984-12-21
Publication date: 1986-06-25
Also published as: GB2168793B

Abstract

A weapon system includes a group of warheads which are stowed in a suitable containment vessel and can be released on parachutes. Each warhead in the group has a fuze including an acoustic sensor 30 responsive to an acoustic pressure wave produced by detonation of another, nearby warhead in the group. Some of the fuzes include an additional trigger device e.g. a timing circuit or altimeter. The acoustic sensors respond to detonation of a nearby warhead, caused by activation of the additional trigger device, resulting in near simultaneous detonation of the entire group. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Weapon systems This invention relates to weapon systems and it relates particularly to weapon systems including a plurality of discrete warheads.

In some battlefield situations it can be of advantage to deploy a cluster of warheads over a target and to arrange for them to fire in a downwards sense. Usually, the warheads are released on parachutes from a suitable airborne containment vessel and each is provided with a fuze arranged to detonate, for example, at a preset altitude. The effectiveness of this technique is enhanced if the warheads detonate simultaneously, or nearly so; however, because they tend to be released at different times and to fall on different trajectories the warheads are generally distributed over a finite range in altitude and simultaneous detonation is unlikely to occur in practice.

A similar problem can arise in a weapon system comprising a cluster of warheads launched from a ship into the path of an attacking missile. Each warhead is adapted to detonate on impact with the missile or a fragment thereof and in these circumstances a significant fraction of the available fire power of the system may not, in practice, be utilised. It is an object of the present invention to provide a weapon system in which the problems described herein are at least alleviated.

Accordingly there is provided a weapon system including a plurality of warheads each provided with a fuze, wherein the fuze associated with one, at least, of the warheads in the plurality includes first means responsive to a stimulus or event to detonate said at least one warhead, and the fuze associated with each of the other warheads in the plurality includes second means responsive to detonation of said at least one warhead to detonate the respective warhead, whereby detonation of said at least one warhead, in response to said stimulus or event, results in substantially simultaneous detonation of said other warheads in the plurality. It will be appreciated that the simultaneous, or near simultaneous detonation of warheads significantly enhances the effectiveness of the weapon system.

Said second means may comprise an acoustic sensor responsive to an acoustic pressure wave created by detonation of said at least one warhead.

In the case of a weapon system deployed from an airborne carrier said first means may comprise an altimeter for inititating detonation of said at least one warhead at a preset height above the ground or alternatively said first means may comprise a timing circuit for intitiating detonation after a suitable delay as measured from, for example, the time of deployment.

In a further example, the first means may comprise an impact sensor.

The fuze associated with said at least one warhead may also include a said second means, especially when the fuzes associated with more than one warhead in the plurality are provided with respective said first means.

In order that the invention may be carried readily into effect examples only thereof are now described by reference to the accompanying drawings of which: Figures 1 and 3 show longitudinal sectional views through two warheads used in different applications of the invention, and Figure 2 shows, in block schematic form, a circuit utilised in the warheads of Figures 1 and 3 for detecting a shock wave generated by detonation of an associated warhead.

In one application of the present invention a weapon system comprises a large number (typically 500-1000) warheads stowed in a containment vessel, of known kind, for airborne deployment over a battlefield. The containment vessel is capable of remote delivery and may be in the form of a carrier shell or carrier rocket suitable for artillery deployment or alternatively in the form of a dispenser or pod carried by an aircraft. Typically the containment vessel is equipped with primary targeting and fuzing systems which detect, and initiate deployment of the warheads over, a viable target.

The warheads are released in a cluster on parachutes to effect a relatively broad "blanket" coverage over the target area.

As shown in Figure 1 of the drawings each warhead 10 comprises an explosive charge 20 and a fuze including an acoustic sensor 30. The charge is contained within a fragmenting casing 21 and, being of hemispherical form, fires, when detonated, in a generally downwards direction. The fuzes associated with a few only of the warheads (typically between 5% and 10% of the total number) are each provided with an additional sensor, of known kind, in the form of an altimeter or alternatively a timing circuit effective to detonate the respective charge at a prearranged height above the ground. In response to the resulting shock wave the acoustic sensors associated with others of the warheads in the system generate firing signals suitable to detonate their respective charges.

Thus, in effect, detonation of a single warhead results in substantially simultaneous detonation of the others thereby enhancing significantly the overall effectiveness of the weapon system.

Each acoustic sensor is designed to discriminate between the shock wave produced by detonation of another warhead and other acoustic pressure waves due to background effects such as artillery fire, for example. As shown in Figure 2 of the drawings the acoustic sensor includes a detonator (DET) in the form of a microphone having a response characteristic spanning 360" in azimuth.

The output of the detector is amplified in a preamplifier and signal conditioning circuit (AMP) and the amplified signal subjected to thresholding in a level and edge detector circuit (LEC). Provided both the rise time and magnitude of the detected signal are consistent with a shock wave produced by another warhead circuit LEC generates a trigger signal TRIG suitable for initiating detonation of the explosive charge.

In another example, a weapon system in accordance with the present invention is intended to be lauched from the side of a ship to counter an attacking missile. The system comprises a plurality of individual warheads which are stowed, for launch, in a mortar or similar containment vessel and released on parachutes to create, in effect, a screen through which the approaching missile must pass. Again each warhead is provided with an acoustic sensor having a suitable thresholding circuit and all or only a few of them (between 5 and 10% typically) are each provided with an impact sensing device in place of the altimeter or timing circuit used in the example described hereinbefore. In this example, each warhead is shaped, as shown in Figure 3, to create, when detonated, an omni-directional fragment blast and each acoustic sensor is configured to provide an omni-directional response characteristic. Thus, if one of the warheads is caused to detonate as result of impact with the missile itself or a fragment thereof, the resulting shock wave will cause substantially simultaneous detonation of the others in the system. In addition to this detonation process, some warheads in the system may detonate in response to the mach cone shock wave of the attacking missile.

It will be appreciated that the instant invention will find application in other situations wherein substantially simultaneous detonation of plurality of warheads is desirable.

Claims

1. A weapon system including a plurality of warheads each provided with a fuze, wherein the fuze associated with one, at least, of the warheads in the plurality includes first means responsive to a stimulus or event to detonate the at least one warhead, and the fuze associated with each of the other warheads in the plurality includes second means responsive to detonation of said at least one warhead to detonate the respective warhead, whereby detonation of said at least one warhead, in response to said stimulus or event, results in substantially simultaneous detonation of said other warheads in the plurality.

2. A weapon system according to Claim 1 wherein said second response means comprises an acoustic sensor responsive to an acoustic pressure wave created by detonation of said at least one warhead.

3. A weapon system according to Claim 1 or Claim 2 wherein said first response means comprises an altimeter or a timing circuit for actuating detonation of said at least one warhead at a preset height above the ground.

4. A weapon system according to Claim 1 or Claim 2 wherein said first response means comprises an impact sensor.

5. A weapon system according to any one of Claims 1 to 4 wherein the fuze associated with each said warhead in the system is provided with a said second means.

6. A weapon system substantially as hereinbefore described by reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

7. A warhead for use in weapon systems according to any one of claims 1 to 6.