GB2300902A

GB2300902A - Submunition munitions

Info

Publication number: GB2300902A
Application number: GB9609222A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Jurgen Kunz; Bernhard Trosky
Original assignee: Diehl GmbH and Co
Current assignee: Diehl Verwaltungs Stiftung
Priority date: 1995-05-16
Filing date: 1996-05-02
Publication date: 1996-11-20
Anticipated expiration: 2016-05-02
Also published as: GB9609222D0; FR2734352B1; GB2300902B; DE19517844A1; FR2734352A1

Description

1 SUBMUNITION MUNITIONS 2300902 The invention relates to a munition

comprising a submunition and a dispenser for delivering the submunition to a target area.

Such a dispenser is represented in the German Journal WEHRTECHNIK No. 1/1981, Page 54, top left. It is conveyed by means of an aeroplane flying low in direction of enemy targets and, at a distance at which the carrier plane is still not in any danger, it is released to fly on with its own drive, ascending en route to the target area to a height which is favourable for the ejection pattern of the submunitions. Of course,, dependent on the pyrotechnical ejection mechanisms, the ejection of submunitions covers an area of only very limited lateral range across the flightpath of the dispenser. It is true that a seeker head provided on board the dispenser as target sensor is perfectly capable of verifying by co-ordinates target concentrations at distances of up to several hundred metres diagonally ahead, but the flying characteristics of an ordinary dispenser do not allow it to then approach sufficiently close to such a target to drop the submunitions in a concentrated way on the defined target area. Moreover when the dispenser is greatly endangered by enemy defensive measures when, on approaching the defined target area, it has to ascend from the low-flying path to a height which is optimum for the ejection pattern of the submunitions.

2 In the knowledge of these facts, the invention is based on the technical problems, present without having to increase the dispenser's agility, of being able to optimally bombard, with at least one submunition, target clusters which are located by the dispenser's seeker head as being diagonally ahead but f ar to the side, and to do this as f ar as is possible without increasing the risk to the dispenser.

In order to enable this objective to be achieved the present invention provides a munition comprising a dispenser for delivering at least one submunition over a target, characterised in that the submunition is housed in a flying container, which is ejectable from the dispenser and flies away along a predetermined path over the target.

The invention further provides a method of delivering a submunition to over a target by:

(a) housing the submunition in a flying container housed in a dispenser; (b) causing the dispenser to fly at low level towards an area in which targets are expected to be found; (c) ejecting the container from the dispenser to fly away along a predetermined path towards a target detected to one side of the dispenser; (d) ejecting the submunition at an altitude above said low level and proximal to the target.

In this munition the submunition is not directly 3 discharged from the dispenser, but is brought to an optimum height for the ejection pattern over the targets by means of the flying container which is. ejected from the dispenser. As a result, the dispenser (optionally with other containers and submunitions on board) can remain in the less dangerous low-level flight path, whilst only a very small technical expenditure is necessary for the flying container because, by reason of the kinetic energy assumed from the dispenser, it does not need its own drive and flies over a fixed predetermined path away to the side of the dispenser over the target to be attacked. This path is most simply a circular arc of fixed radius, which follows on from a stabilising stretch of flight of predetermined length after the flying container has been released from the dispenser. On board the dispenser therefore, for the target co-ordinates detected by the target sensor (seeker head), it only has to be determined, considering the actual flying conditions of the dispenser and the flying characteristics of the flying container, when the flying container is to be released so that its circular-arc- shaped path precisely intersects the target co-ordinates. For this flight- path control, only a very simply equipped autopilot is necessary on board the flying container, since only a predetermined rolling position has to be maintained. The aerodynamic lift of the flying container is preferably produced by means of a single, central aerofoil, which can be twisted from its longitudinal direction assumed during transport into a crosswise direction in relation to the flight and thus 4 tipped so f ar round the aerofoil axle that the necessary position for the lift function of this aerofoil is ensured.

It can be designed so that a flying container can be delivered optionally in one or the other lateral direction f rom the dispenser. However, the dispenser is preferably equipped with several flying containers, which are assigned to one or other direction of ejection. Thus the submunition or submunitions can utilise lateral ejection ranges (with respect to the flight-path of the dispenser) which cannot be realised with conventional ejection mechanisms and, despite great lateral distances, the ejection path or pattern of the submunition or submunitions is or are optimised to area bombardment of the target cluster, in order as it were to execute a precise attack on the target with correspondingly great effect. Particularly in practice, expensive measures can be waived for planiform. submunition distribution, because the flying container flies directly over the target co-ordinates at the optimum height for delivery.

The invention will be described further, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic, not to scale and simplified drawings, wherein:- FIGURE 1 shows a plan view representing the process f or ejection of the submunition carrying flying container, and the flight-paths on the one hand of the dispenser and on the other hand of the container, FIGURE 2 shows part of the container in longitudinal section, to show the position of the aerofoil swivelled crossways in the case of the ejected submunition container shown in FIGURE 1.

The munition 10 comprises a dispenser 13 housing at least one flying container 14 which in turn houses at least one submunition, and preferably several or a multiplicity of individual submunitions 12.

Instead of being directly delivered to a target area, the submunition or submunitions 12 to be used against a target 11 in the form of a target concentration of or an individual spot target is, according to the invention, only indirectly brought into the vicinity of the target 11, insofar as the submunition 12 for its part is housed in the flying container 14 which is laterally ejected from the dispenser 13. After ejection of the container 14 from the dispenser 13,- a rudder 15 of the container, which was previously folded-in whilst the container was located in the storage space of the dispenser, is deployed and a central aerofoil 16 is swivelled out from its mounting 17, which extends in longitudinal direction of the container, into the functional position oriented at right angles to it, in which the rudder assumes an angle of incidence for the necessary lift of the flying container 14 in free flight, as shown in FIGURE 2. The transition from the zero angle mounted position (in dotted lines in FIGURE 2) into the position of the angle of incidence for the mission can 6 take place structurally by way of a constraining force operating during swivelling of the aerofoil 16, or by the action of spring power or of the air-flow in free flight of the flying container 14 ejected from the dispenser 13. The structural determination of the angle of incidence for the aerofoil 16 can be realised by an appropriate profiling at the base of the mounting 17, as can also be seen from the drawing in longitudinal section in FIGURE 2, so that the aerofoil 16, after swivelling out crossways into the functional position, rests in the area surrounding its swivelling pin 18 on the structure of the flying container 14 and, with the incidence determined or restricted by is support or seating, projects freely sideways beyond its outline.

The f lying container 14 is equipped with a position sensor 19 which acts on the rudder 15 in order to ensure a definite rolling position in free flight. At the same time, the rudder 15 constitutes a single-axle or single axis control system under the influence of an autopilot 20, which is programmed, after lateral ejection from the dispenser 13, to fly a roughly straight, predetermined stabilising stretch 22 in the actual direction of flight 21, before changing the flight path into a circular arc 23 of fixed radius. Preferably the aerofoil is aerodynamically designed so that its swinging-out into the working position then directly produces the circular-arc shaped flight path 23 so that the steering of the rudder 15 only has to serve for stabilising the flight.

7 Consequently, the technical expenditure for manufacturing the autopilot 20 is relatively low, since expensive mission planning does not apply, because the f lying container 14, independent of the position of the target 11, reaches this by the f ixed predetermined f light prof ile along a circular arc 23 (FIGURE 1), which only has to start at a suitable location.

For this purpose, the dispenser is equipped with a 10 target sensor 24. As soon as it detects the target 11 to be attacked ahead and to the side, the flying container 14 is initialised, namely its power supply is activated, so that the gyro stabiliser for the autopilot 20 can run up and a timer in the container 14 is set f or the subsequent ejection of the submunition 12 from the then free-flying container 14. The lateral ejection of the flying container 14 from the dispenser 13 takes place at an extrapolated point in time based on the fact that the fixed predetermined. circular arc 23, after flying over the stabilising stretch 22, covers as precisely as possible the co-ordinates of the target 11. On ejection of the flying container 14, the dispenser 13 also continues to fly on steadily in the same safe, low-level flight-path 25. The flying container itself does not need to have its own drive since, on lateral ejection from the dispenser 13, it has sufficient kinetic energy to travel the distance to the target 11 along its stabilising stretch 22 of fixed length with subsequent circular arc 23. The energy is sufficient to bring the flying container 14 from the low flight-path 8 25 of the dispenser 13 up to a height which is more favourable for the ejection pattern of the submunition 12 over the target.

In this way, the lateral working range of the munition dispenser is considerably increased. Since, without taking the dispenser 25 to a dangerous height or even having to move dangerously close to the target 11, the submunition 12 is brought by means of the flying container 14 to an optimum ejection range in order to precisely attack targets 11, that is to say without spreading the submunition or submunitions 12 over an unnecessarily large area in respect of small target concentrations.

The invention is not confined to details of the foregoing example, and many variations, modifications and functional equivalents of parts and functional features are possible within the scope of the invention. The invention includes a munition, dispenser, flying container or method including any novel part, functional arrangement of parts, function or step disclosed herein or in the drawings.

The invention generally provides a munition in which a submunition 12 is delivered by dispenser so that a target 11 which is located ahead and far off to the side can be attacked very efficiently, without having to make the dispenser 13 more agile and without it incurring danger by approaching the target or leaving its low- level flight-path 25. The submunition 12 is housed in a flying container 14 9 which is released from the dispenser 13 at such a location that, by flying without a drive along a stabilising stretch 22 of predetermined length with transition into a circular arc 23 of predetermined radius, it flies directly above the position of the target 11 at a height which Is favourable for delivering the submunition and then can deliver the submunition 12 so as to be virtually spot-on target.

Claims

1. A munition comprising a dispenser f or delivering at least one submunition over a target, characterised in that the submunition is housed in a f lying container, which is ejectable from the dispenser and flies away along a fixed, predetermined path over the target.

2. A munition according to Claim 1, charadterised in that the flying container flies without a drive and is equipped with an autopilot which only controls the rolling position for a flight along a predetermined stabilising stretch with transition into a circular arc having a predetermined radius.

3. A munition according to Claim 1 or 2, characterised in that the flying container is designed for aerodynamic lift up to a more favourable height for delivering the submunition.

4. A munition according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the dispenser is equipped with a target sensor which, according to the lateral position of a target detected diagonally ahead and according to the actual kinematics as well as the flying characteristics of the flying container, determines the release of the container from the dispenser and subsequently the point in time for ejection of the submunition from the container.

11

5. A munition according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the flying container is equipped with a central aerofoil which, prior to ejection of the flying container from the dispenser, is oriented in longitudinal direction of the flying container, and which, after positional stabilisation of the ejected flying container, can be swivelled into a working position, at right angles to the longitudinal direction, in which it tips into a structurally predetermined angle of incidence.

6. A munition comprising a dispenser according to Claim 5, characterised in that the aerofoil, in its swivelled-out position, produces the transition of the flight-path of the flying container into a circular arc.

7. A munition substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawing.

8. A method of delivering a submunition to over a target by:

(a) housing the submunition in a flying container housed in a dispenser; (b) causing the dispenser to fly at lwe level towards an area in which targets are expected to be found; (c) ejecting the container from the dispenser to fly away along a predetermined path towards a target detected to one side of the dispenser; (d) ejecting the submunition at an altitude above said low level and proximal to the target.

12

9. A method of delivering a submunition to over a target substantially as hereinbef ore described with reference to the accompanying drawing.