IL169423A

IL169423A - Warhead for artillery ammunition

Info

Publication number: IL169423A
Application number: IL16942305A
Authority: IL
Original assignee: Diehl Bgt Defence Gmbh & Co Kg
Priority date: 2004-06-30
Filing date: 2005-06-27
Publication date: 2011-03-31
Also published as: EP1612504B1; DE502005001165D1; DE202004010194U1; EP1612504A1

Description

WARHEAD FOR ARTILLERY AMMUNITION 169423 i?'n | 453486 mx Pearl Cohen Zedek Latzer P-7866-IL DGm 480 IL WB/Fi/Bu Diehl BGT Defence GmbH & Co. KG, 88662 Uberlingen Warhead for artillery ammunition The invention relates to a warhead according to the precharacterizing clause of Claim 1 .

The use of long-range guided artillery rockets or long-range artillery projectiles places stringent demands on effective reconnaissance, which can be achieved as far as possible in real time, on the targets to be attacked, which are, in particular, hard or semi-hard targets, and on the attack success.

EP 0 800 052 B1 discloses a reconnaissance device having a sensor unit for detection and localization of targets, in which case the reconnaissance device can be transported in an artillery projectile together with a device which delays the descent and can be deployed, and which can be released from this artillery projectile. This reconnaissance device is provided with a brake parachute and an antispin apparatus. The descent-delaying device is formed by a lifting device which has a guidance device and a propulsion device for deliberate movement and increasing of the time for which it remains above the operational area of the reconnaissance unit. The propulsion device of this known reconnaissance device may be in the form of a paraglider or a kite. This reconnaissance device is physically simple and can be positioned at an appropriate observation height in a simple manner and with simple means, allowing relatively long-term reconnaissance of a target area for the order of magnitude of up to 10 minutes, and is effectively insensitive to attack. However, this reconnaissance device is an external reconnaissance means.

In contrast, the present invention is based on the object of providing a warhead of the type mentioned initially, in which the artillery ammunition, which may be an artillery rocket or an artillery projectile, is independent of external reconnaissance means and, in consequence, has a certain amount of autonomy. 169423/2 - 2 - According to the invention, this object is achieved by the features of Claim 1. Preferred refinements and developments of the warhead according to the invention are characterized in the dependent claims.

The advantages which are achieved by the warhead according to the invention are that the artillery ammunition is independent of external reconnaissance means and thus has a certain amount of autonomy, and that the use of the ammunition can be effectively optimized by real-time reconnaissance, thus reducing the ammunition costs.

Furthermore, the present invention ensures that the target reconnaissance sensor is positioned directly at the point of use of the submunition, thus allowing very highly reliable statements to be made about the target distribution and the attack success.

Exemplary embodiments of warheads according to the invention for artillery ammunition will be described in the following text and are illustrated in the drawing, in which: Figure 1 shows a longitudinal section through a warhead, Figure 2a shows a submunition while Fig. 2b shows a comparison to a reconnaissance module Figure 3a and 3b show a functional illustration of the reconnaissance module in respect of the submunition.

Figure 1 shows one embodiment of the warhead 10 having a number of submunitions 12, which are known per se, so that there is no need to describe them in detail here. The submunitions 12 are arranged one behind the other in the warhead 10. A submunition 12 in the conventional warhead 10, for example for an MLRS guided rocket, is replaced by a reconnaissance module 14, which has a sensor device 16 and a transmitter 18 that is connected to it. The reconnaissance module 14 and the submunitions 12 are physically identical, thus allowing homogeneous integration of the reconnaissance module 14 in the group of submunitions 12 within one and the same warhead 10 for the artillery ammunition. The artillery ammunition may be an artillery rocket or an artillery projectile.

The reconnaissance module 14 forms a sensor carrier, which can P-7866-IL advantageously replace one of the submunitions 12 without any special integration complexity. For this pyrpose, the reconnaissance module 14 may have the same external dimensions and external contours as the submunitions 12. The reconnaissance module 14 may also possibly have at least approximately the same weight as the individual submunitions 12, in order that the reconnaissance module 14 does not influence the flight characteristics of the artillery ammunition.

In the active state, that is to say while the reconnaissance module 14 is descending into a target region, the reconnaissance module 14 should remain behind the submunitions 12 in order to make it possible to record the target region, that is to say the final hit result and a target image, once the submunitions have already exploded. In order to delay its descent movement, in comparison to the descent movement of the submunitions 12, the reconnaissance module 14 may be connected to a relatively large parachute. Another possible way to delay the descent of the reconnaissance module 14 into the target region in comparison to the descent of the submunitions 12 is to provide a delay device for delayed ejection of the reconnaissance module 14 from the warhead 10. This delay device is indicated by the block 20 in the drawing figure.

In order to delay the descent of the reconnaissance module 14 into the target region in comparison to the descent of the submunitions 12, it is also possible, if required, to design the reconnaissance module 14.1 to be lighter in weight than the submunitions 12.

In order to avoid changing the ballistic characteristics of the artillery ammunition or of the artillery rocket, an additional ballast weight 24 is installed for a lightweight, physically short reconnaissance module 14.1. This ballast weighty 24, which is in the form of a plastic container 26 filled with metal powder or granulate, forms a unit 30 together with the reconnaissance module 14.1 (Figure 2). Its length 32 corresponds to the length 34 of the submunition 12. After ejection from the warhead 10, the plastic container 26 together with the metal powder or granulate disintegrates and releases the metal powder or granulate safely.

As an alternative to this, the ballast weight 24 together with the plastic container 26 may also be installed within the artillery ammunition or the artillery rocket on the opposite side to the submunition ejection direction, thus remaining in the artillery ammunition or the artillery rocket during the ejection process.

Figure 3b illustrates how the reconnaissance module 14, which is ejected with a time delay with respect to the submunitions 12 seen in Fig. 3a, is aerodynamically braked to a greater extent owing to its lighter mass and, at the time when the parachute opens, it is positioned above the same target region as the submunitions 12.

In the case of the warhead 10 according to the invention, the reconnaissance module 14, which forms a sensor carrier, has an externally similar functional procedure to that of the submunitions 12, in terms of its descent into the target region, with the reconnaissance module 14 carrying out a rotary movement about its vertical axis as it hangs on the parachute, although the reconnaissance module 14 does not have an explosive charge, but has a sensor system 22 for detection of the respective target arrangement and of the targets which have already been hit by the submunitions 12, and are burning. The sensor system 22 is indicated schematically in the drawing figure by a block which contains the sensor device 16 and the transmitter 18.

It has been found to be advantageous for the sensor device 16 of the sensor system 22 to be intended to produce a search beam with relatively wide width coverage, because this allows the ground in the target region to be scanned in such a way that a complete image of the target region is produced after only a small number of revolutions of the reconnaissance module 14. The information which is obtained in this way can be passed by means of the transmitter 18 to a fire point, to a fire control point or to an operational control centre. This makes it possible to make decisions on further attack measures on the basis of the transmitted attack success and of the respective updating data relating to the targets to be attacked, and the target movements.

Another possibility is for the transmitter 18, which is connected to the sensor device 16, to be provided for information data transmission to a following guided rocket which has been fired into the same target region and is approaching the target to be attacked. The data update from the reconnaissance module 14 can in this case be used in order to allow any necessary steering correction or adaptation of the ejection pattern, or of the target region to be covered. Such correction is particularly worthwhile when the targets to be attacked, which, in particular, are hard or semi-hard targets, attempt to escape from the shot by leaving their location (separation) or by departing from their intended route prior to that point (escape manoeuvre). 169423 /2 - 6 - List of reference symbols: Warhead Submunitions Reconnaissance module Reconnaissance module Sensor device Transmitter Delay device Sensor system Ballast weight Plastic container Unit of the reconnaissance module Length of the reconnaissance module Length of the reconnaissance module

Claims

169423/3 * Claims:

1. Warhead for artillery ammunition, having a number of submunitions (12) which are arranged one behind the other, characterized in that a single submunition 12 is replaced by a reconnaissance module (14) which has a sensor device (16) and a transmitter (18), the reconnaissance module (14) and the submunitions (12) are physically identical, the reconnaissance module (14) has the same external dimensions and external contours as the submunitions (12), and the reconnaissance module (14) is connected to a relatively large parachute in order to delay its descending movement in comparison to the descending movement of the submunitions (12).

2. Warhead according to Claim 1 , characterized in that a delay device (20) is provided for delayed ejection of the reconnaissance module (14) from the warhead (10).

3. Warhead according to Claim 1 , characterized in that a submunition explosive charge is replaced by the sensor device (16) and the transmitter (18) in the reconnaissance module (14).

4. Warhead according to Claim 1 , characterized in that the sensor device (16) is intended to produce a search beam with relatively wide width coverage.

5. Warhead according to Claim 1 , characterized in that the transmitter (18) which is connected to the sensor device (16) is intended for information data transmission to a firing point, to a fire control point or to an operational control centre.

6. Warhead according to Claim 1 , characterized in that the transmitter (18) which is connected to the sensor device (16) is intended for information data transmission to a subsequent guided rocket.

7. Warhead according to Claim 1 , characterized in that a lightweight and physically short reconnaissance module (14.1 ) with a ballast weight (24) forms a unit (30).