MECHANICAL UNGUIDED BALLISTIC MISSILE NEAR SURFACE FUZING SWITCHES

Assignee

Filed

Aug 11, 1983

Granted

Jun 23, 1987

Location

Albuquerque NM (Kirtland AFB/Sandia)

Abstract

A shock-damped and electronically passive mechanical switch system is precisely responsive to unguided ballistic missile peak reentry drag levels and respective near surface drag levels. The system includes a single cylindrical case containing a first and a second switching piston independently biased by respective springs, and a third switching piston housed in the second piston and controlled by metering fluid. The third (arming) piston begins displacing upon sensing a calibrated low threshold missile reentry drag value and shortly thereafter opens a port which enables the first and second pistons to begin displacing in response to the missile's drag, these two pistons coming to rest upon sensing the missile's peak drag. The second (programming) piston retains its peak drag sensing position to thus program the near surface drag value as the first piston retracts in response to the missile's reducing post peak drag. The third piston reaches its arming position between the missile's peak drag and near surface drag experiences. The first (near surface drag switching) piston closes the warhead fuzing circuit as it senses the near surface drag value programmed by the second piston.

Source: Google Patents