Browse Topic: Missiles
On a clear afternoon over a contested airspace, a drone suddenly appears on radar. Within seconds, more follow, and they're small, fast, and unpredictable. For the U.S. Army's air and missile defense operators, every moment counts. The difference between mission success and mission failure is measured in milliseconds. During that brief window, sensors must connect instantly, embedded systems must process floods of data at the edge, and command links must hold steady even under electronic interference.
Leonardo DRS has opened a new naval power and propulsion manufacturing and testing facility in Charleston, South Carolina, expanding its role in delivering next generation electric propulsion, integrated power systems, and high energy payload support for U.S. Navy surface and undersea platforms. The 140,000 square foot site consolidates advanced manufacturing, final assembly, and high fidelity testing for electric power conversion and propulsion systems, while also supporting naval steam turbine design, production, and subsystem integration for programs including the Columbia class ballistic missile submarine. A representative for Leonardo's Naval Power Systems business unit provided emailed statements with details about the type of advanced manufacturing the company will deploy at the new facility.
RF and fiber have long co-existed within modern military and aerospace systems, with each medium dedicated to separate, mission-critical roles. Increasingly, however, system designers are turning to RF-over-fiber (RFoF) architectures to bridge the gap between over-the-air RF interfaces and the long, interference-resistant transport advantages of fiber. When it comes to over-the-air communications uses like tactical radio or satellite communications terminals, radio frequency (RF) is still the dominant signal format. RF is also commonly used at the front end of radar and electronic warfare, supporting search, tracking, fire control radar, missile seekers, jammers and electronic support measures.
Pyrovalves (also known as pyrotechnic valves) have long been a staple in defense systems, particularly in missile and munition launcher applications. The rapid growth of counter-UAS and missile defense systems makes this an ideal time to explore smarter alternatives to pyrovalves. One of the largest ongoing U.S. military efforts is the Missile Defense Agency's (MDA) Scalable Homeland Innovative Enterprise Layered Defense (SHIELD) Multiple Award Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract. In December, MDA issued two tranches of SHIELD awards to more than 2,100 companies, including major defense contractors and startups such as Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, Boeing, Shield AI, Anduril, and Virtualitics.
The U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command Technical Center's Aerophysics Research Facility, (ARF), fired a successful hypersonic shot to test its new rainfield simulator. U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command Technical Center, Huntsville, AL Zack Perrin, ARF manager and technical lead engineer of the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command (USASMDC's) Targets and Test Resources Branch of the Ronald Reagan Ballistic Missile Defense Test Site, said ARF is SMDC's premier hypersonic flight and hypervelocity impact laboratory. Perrin said their largest gun system, the 254 mm light gas guns, or LGGs, is the fastest gun in the Army and can launch projectiles 6 inches in diameter to speeds up to 3 kilometers per second or smaller projectiles on the order of 2.7 inches in diameter to velocities exceeding 6 km/s. “I like to tell people that the facility is a gun range the size of an aircraft carrier and within the facility are multiple engineering tools, called light gas guns
Moog Inc. East Aurora, NY kgibas@moog.com
When a Marine in the field launches an uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV) to gather intelligence, it becomes more than just a drone. It's a flying data center that processes AI workloads, runs machine learning algorithms, and transmits critical information through a complex network designed to provide situational awareness across multiple commands. All of this computational power generates significant heat, and in the confined space of a UAV operating in harsh environmental conditions, thermal management becomes critical to mission success. But there's a fundamental question the U.S. defense isn't asking: how will we manage the heat? The Golden Dome, the Trump administration's vision for missile defense, builds upon the existing Joint All-Domain Command and Control (JADC2) framework for connecting sensors from all branches of the U.S. armed forces into a unified network powered by artificial intelligence. This plan faces an existential threat from thermal management challenges that have
U.S. Army Redstone Arsenal, AL 703-697-9603
A joint acoustic flight test was conducted by NASA Langley Research Center and the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Aviation & Missile Center, with the goal of investigating new methods for acoustic data collection. The impetus for the effort is the anticipated growth of Urban Air Mobility and Future Vertical Lift vehicles. Many of these vehicles are expected to have distributed propulsion systems that may result in unsteady vehicle state conditions even during steady flight. This work examines the acoustic measurements collected during purposefully unsteady maneuvers performed by an MD530F helicopter. A snapshot microphone array design was deployed for this test to capture the acoustic signature on the ground from the helicopter under maneuver conditions. An analysis of the acoustic emissions indicated the presence of blade-vortex interactions, not only during the rolls towards the advancing side of the main rotor, but also rolls towards the retreating side and during
BlueHalo Arlington, VA paul.frommelt@bluehalo.com
BlueHalo Arlington, VA 703-718-4050
Defense Equipment & Support (DE&S) Bristol, UK 0117-913-0893
Severe problem of aerodynamic heating and drag force are inherent with any hypersonic space vehicle like space shuttle, missiles etc. For proper design of vehicle, the drag force measurement become very crucial. Ground based test facilities are employed for these estimates along with any suitable force balance as well as sensors. There are many sensors (Accelerometer, Strain gauge and Piezofilm) reported in the literature that is used for evaluating the actual aerodynamic forces over test model in high speed flow. As per previous study, the piezofilm also become an alternative sensor over the strain gauges due to its simple instrumentation. For current investigation, the piezofilm and strain gauge sensors have mounted on same stress force balance to evaluate the response time as well as accuracy of predicted force at the same instant. However, these force balance need to be calibrated for inverse prediction of the force from recorded responses. A reliable multi point calibration
Lockheed Martin Orlando, FL 407-284-9248
Corrosion occurs in diverse environments mainly on metallic parts. Helicopters are made of a huge percentage of metallic parts and need to have several maintenance steps to guarantee its functioning and its durability. The military helicopters are flying in different kinds of environment, which cover large spectrum of severity of the atmospheric corrosion [1]. In maritime conditions, the most influencing factor is the Time of Wetness, which is a direct result Relative Humidity and Salt loading. The main material used for aircraft and that is suffering from corrosion is aluminium. There are plenty of data to follow the corrosion as a function of the environmental conditions, mainly on the sensitivity with sodium chloride, Relative Humidity, film thickness, etc... [2][3]. The maintenance efficiency on helicopters is dependent on the environmental severity. The U.S. armed forces estimate $10.2 billion in corrosion costs for their aviation and missile fleets during 2016 [4] [5] [6]. The
U.S. Army Combat Capability Development Command Aviation and Missile Center (DEVCOM AvMC) and Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI) developed the Mission Systems Flying Testbed (MSFTB) to enable rapid evaluation of innovative technologies and integration approaches against Modular Open System Approach (MOSA) objectives. The MSFTB is a flight test capability to evaluate and demonstrate integration of mission systems to inform Army stakeholders on satisfaction of Modular Open System goals for the Army Aviation enterprise, Future Vertical Lift family of systems, and enduring aviation platforms.
In 2023, Parry Labs was awarded two tasks under the Aviation and Missile Technology Consortium's (AMTC) Other Transactions Agreement to lead a multi-vendor team to collaboratively define the Army's Modular Open Systems Approach (MOSA) requirements for computing and software operating environments for all future Army Aviation procurements. This relatively new approach for the Army and industry drove collaboration and allowed U.S. Government (USG) to make key modularity and openness decisions relative to Aviation Mission Computing Environment (AMCE). This unique opportunity provided a platform for industry to openly inform requirements at a much more granular level than previously possible, providing assurances that such detailed requirements wouldn't be an overreach or constrain innovation and disrupt industry business models. Solicited to the entire AMTC, which represents the vast majority of the aviation industrial base, the AMTC and USG team selected the most qualified vendors to
The development of hypersonic missiles represents the most significant advancement of defense weaponry since the 1960s. However, they also pose unique challenges for both design and technology. The term “hypersonic” refers to any speed faster than five times the speed of sound, or above Mach 5. Modern hypersonic missile systems require extensive communications interconnects within a highly confined space. This space requirement creates a demand for solutions combining small form factor with reduced weight and rugged construction to withstand high vibration and impact conditions from deployment to target. Currently there are two types of hypersonic weapons. Hypersonic glide vehicles (HGVs), also known as boost-glide vehicles, typically launch from ballistic missiles and are released at a specific altitude, speed, and with the flight path tailored to a target without being powered. Hypersonic cruise missiles (HCMs) are powered all the way to their targets, flying at lower altitudes than
L3Harris Technologies Melbourne, FL 585-465-3592
Raytheon Arlington, VA 202-384-2474
This recommended practice covers the requirements and qualification tests for two types of flexible all-metal hose assemblies intended for hydraulic use on missile and rocket applications at rated pressures of 4000 psi. Type I -65° to +650 °F service temperature range Type II -65° to +1000 °F service temperature range
During her recent remarks at the National Defense Industrial Association's (NDIA) Emerging Technologies for Defense conference, U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks outlined the agency's new “Replicator” initiative. Under the new Replicator initiative, over the next 18 to 24 months, the Defense Department will deploy thousands of low cost autonomous systems across multiple domains. DoD officials are limiting the amount of information they will release around technology or platform specifics for Replicator. Hicks did confirm however that Replicator has been established to counter the rapid buildup of the People's Republic of China's (PRC) armed forces, weapons and new technologies.
Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace selected a radar test setup from Rohde & Schwarz based on the R&S SMW200A vector signal generator for multi-channel phase-coherent radar signal generation. Kongsberg is Norway's premier supplier of defense and aerospace-related technologies. The joint strike missile (JSM) is a fifth generation long range precision strike missile. Using advanced sensors, the JSM can locate targets based on their electronic signature. Qualification of the JSM is under way with the Royal Norwegian Air Force (RNoAF). Kongsberg's JSM must operate autonomously in highly contested environments. To increase mission success, the missile has a passive RF sensor that can locate and identify radio frequency emitters. To test and verify this RF direction finding capability in a laboratory, Kongsberg required a multi-channel phase coherent vector signal generator that could be linked to existing test environments.
Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace selected a radar test setup from Rohde & Schwarz based on the R&S SMW200A vector signal generator for multi-channel phase-coherent radar signal generation. Kongsberg is Norway’s premier supplier of defense and aerospace-related technologies. The joint strike missile (JSM) is a fifth generation long range precision strike missile. Using advanced sensors, the JSM can locate targets based on their electronic signature. Qualification of the JSM is under way with the Royal Norwegian Air Force (RNoAF).
RF cable assemblies might appear to be a minor component in system design, but they can make all the difference between success and failure, especially in mission-critical industries such as defense and space. The RF interconnect is the vital bridge between many critical systems, including payload, communications, signal transport, and processing. This article will primarily focus on hypersonic missile systems and satellites to illustrate these concepts, as they jointly highlight the importance of RF cable assembly design in extreme environments.
The U.S. Air Force has completed the functional configuration audit (FCA) of the latest variant of Raytheon Technologies' Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM). The AMRAAM AIM-120D-3 is on-track toward fielding by both the Air Force and Navy this year.
The purpose of this recommended practice is to provide the missile hydraulic and pneumatic component designer with information learned, tested, and substantiated in the correction of problems and failures experienced with seals that are subject to the unique requirements of missile static storage and subsequent dynamic operational conditions.
This document defines and illustrates the process for determination of uncertainty of turbofan and turbojet engine in-flight thrust and other measured in-flight performance parameters. The reasons for requiring this information, as specified in the E-33 Charter, are: determination of high confidence aircraft drag; problem rectification if performance is low; interpolation of measured thrust and aircraft drag over a range of flight conditions by validation and development of high confidence analytical methods; establishment of a baseline for future engine modifications. This document describes systematic and random measurement uncertainties and methods for propagating the uncertainties to the more complicated parameter, in-flight thrust. Methods for combining the uncertainties to obtain given confidence levels are also addressed. Although the primary focus of the document is in-flight thrust, the statistical methods described are applicable to any measurement process. The E-33 Committee
Today, defense organizations in several countries are attempting to expand military capabilities by investing in hypersonic missile development. Since these missiles travel at Mach 5, or nearly 4,000 mph, there are naturally a variety of challenges for developing both the actual weapons systems and the corresponding detection systems. While challenges span nearly every aspect of developing these missiles, in this article we will focus specifically on the key challenges associated with the embedded electronics and communication systems. We will also look at how aerospace and defense engineers working on hypersonic missiles can ensure they are selecting supplier partners that are well positioned to meet these unique challenges by looking into their space heritage and history developing high-reliability radiofrequency (RF) components.
Short-range missiles pose a significant threat to U.S. strike fighters. These missiles are usually small and highly mobile and can be carried on light vehicles and by individual people. Although these missiles do not have a long range, the unpredictability of their launch sites increases their lethality. Also contributing to their lethality are the methods of homing in on their targets. Most are passive methods, such as infrared. Unlike active radar homing, these missiles provide no warning to the aircraft that it is being tracked until the missile has been launched.
To achieve battlespace dominance, energy flow characterizations of individual platforms and the aggregate battlespace must be developed to adapt and exploit the variable operating conditions. Army Research Laboratory, White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico The future battlefield will be filled with multiple dissimilar energy networks including unmanned and manned vehicular platforms actively engaged in cooperative control and communications capable of overpowering an adversary and dominating the battlespace. This chaotic multi-domain operational environment will be limited by variable operating conditions (mission profiles, terrain, atmospheric conditions), copious amounts of real-time actionable intelligence derived from weapon and sensor suites, and most importantly, the energy capabilities of each platform. To achieve dominance within the battlespace, energy flow characterizations of individual platforms and the aggregate battlespace must be developed with respect to the variable
Although Navy surface ships have a number of means for defending themselves against anti-ship cruise missiles (ASCMs) and anti-ship ballistic missiles (ASBMs), some observers are concerned about the survivability of Navy surface ships in potential combat situations against adversaries, such as China, that are armed with advanced ASCMs and ASBMs. Concern about this issue has led some observers to conclude that the Navy’s surface fleet in coming years might need to avoid operating in waters that are within range of these weapons, or that the Navy might need to move toward a different fleet architecture that relies less on larger surface ships and more on smaller surface ships and submarines. Such changes in Navy operating areas and fleet architecture could substantially affect U.S. military strategy and the composition of the Navy’s shipbuilding expenditures.
The GPS Radio Occultation and Ultraviolet — Colocated (GROUP-C) experiment was originally conceived in 2010 as a CubeSat mission, combining a compact GPS occultation receiver and high-sensitivity far-ultraviolet (FUV) photometer experiment to be flown as a Space Test Program experiment. The concept was to incorporate a commercial off-the-shelf GPS receiver and a small second-generation FUV photometer to replicate the space weather portion of the Constellation Observing System for Meteorology, Ionosphere, and Climate (COSMIC/FORMOSAT-3) mission at lower cost. In the same timeframe, the Air Force Space and Missile System Center initiated the Space Environment NanoSatellite Experiment (SENSE) to demonstrate several CubeSat technologies for space environment sensing, which included the Compact Tiny Ionospheric Photometer (CTIP) and the Compact Total Electron Content Sensor (CTECS).
BIRD Aerosystems Herzliya, Israel +972 9-972-5700
MBDA is one of the leading European manufacturers in the aerospace and armaments sector, specializing in the design of missiles and missile systems for the operational needs of the military. MBDA France’s Bourges site specializes in the manufacturing tactical missile equipment. The company wanted to automate certain processes in small series or even single unit production, by allowing an operator with no programming skills to teach the robotic system, in just a few seconds, the process to be carried out, and then to execute the cycle with complete confidence without human supervision.
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