US-12624924-B2 - Method, fire control system and combat system for simultaneous detonation of projectiles

US12624924B2US 12624924 B2US12624924 B2US 12624924B2US-12624924-B2

Abstract

A method for simultaneous blasting of projectiles includes i.) calculating the position of the target, ii.) estimating the target's position, iii.) firing a first projectile at the target, iv.) firing a second projectile at the target, v.) braking the first projectile with a braking device arranged in the projectile, and vi.) detonating the projectiles in a coordinated fashion based on an initiation signal. A fire-control system for directing fire against a target comprising at least one sensor, in order to measure the position of the target as a function of time, and a combat system including a firing device are also provided.

Inventors

Frans ERIKSSON
Erik JONASSON

Assignees

BAE SYSTEMS BOFORS AB

Dates

Publication Date: 20260512
Application Date: 20230303
Priority Date: 20220315

Claims (8)

1 . A method for simultaneous detonation of projectiles, comprising i.) measuring a target's position by an external surveillance unit, ii.) estimating a position of the target based on a calculation using time and range using a fire-control sensor, iii.) firing a first projectile towards the target, iv.) firing a second projectile towards the target, v.) changing the position of the first projectile and the second projectile on the way to the target, wherein the first projectile and the second projectile are directed at the target, vi.) detonating the first and second projectiles in a coordinated fashion based on an initiation signal.
2 . The method for simultaneous detonation of projectiles according to claim 1 , comprising firing additional projectiles at the target.
3 . The method for simultaneous detonation of projectiles according to claim 1 , further including a braking device wherein the braking device arranged in the projectile is one of: i.) at least one brake valve arranged in the projectile, ii.) at least one impulse engine arranged in the projectile, iii.) at least one control fin arranged in the projectile, iv.) at least one parachute arranged in the projectile.
4 . The method for simultaneous detonation of projections according to claim 3 , wherein the braking device is the brake valve arranged in the projectile, and the brake valve arranged in the projectile is Adapted to be deployed and retracted so as to change the braking effect acting on the projectile.
5 . The method for simultaneous detonation of projections according to claim 3 , wherein the braking device is the parachute arranged in the projectile, and the parachute arranged in the projectile is removed from the projectile when a certain desired braking effect/velocity has been achieved on the projectile.
6 . The method for simultaneous detonation of projectiles according to claim 1 , wherein the initiation signal is any of: i.) a received radio signal to all the projectiles, ii.) a predetermined time, iii.) a predetermined position, or iv) a signal from the first fired projectile to the remaining projectiles.
7 . A combat system including a firing device and a fire control system for directing fire against a target, the combat system utilizing the method for simultaneous detonation of projectiles according to claim 1 .
8 . The combat system according to claim 7 , wherein the firing device is a barrel-based cannon system.

Description

BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY The current patent application concerns a method for simultaneous or coordinated detonation of projectiles. When combating a moving or stationary target with unguided or guided projectiles fired from barreled weapons, the projectiles must be fired at the points where the target will be when the projectiles reach it, or at points close to where the target is located. Such points, usually called forward points, must be predicted. In order to improve impact on the target or to improve the probability of impact on the target, multiple projectiles can be made to burst in the vicinity of the target. Indirect action, for example in the form of artillery pieces, multiple projectiles can be made to hit ground targets or near ground targets simultaneously or near-simultaneously. This is referred to as MRSI, Multiple Rounds Simultaneous Impact, which is a technique employed in order to fire several projectiles, such as shells, with different charges and/or elevations and thereby make the projectiles land simultaneously or near-simultaneously. MRSI can be fired from one artillery piece but can also interact with ammunition/projectiles fired from several artillery pieces in a system. In general, MRSI is used for combating ground targets using artillery pieces or grenade launchers against ground targets, where the projectiles explode upon contact with the target or the ground surface. Examples of method and device for coordinated detonation/burst of several projectiles are given in patent document US 2005/0081705 (A1). The patent document demonstrates that various types of warheads can be made to detonate/burst at the same time by means of utilizing a joint synchronized time. One additional example of method and device for coordinated detonation/burst of several projectiles is given in patent document U.S. Pat. No. 5,661,258 (A). The patent document demonstrates that different warheads are arranged/placed against a fixed position before joint detonation/burst of the projectiles. The problem with currently existing solutions according to the above-mentioned document is that there is no indication to improve the coordinated/synergistic detonation by means changing the position of the warhead. Additional problems which the present invention seeks to solve will become apparent in connection with the following detailed description of the various embodiments. It is desirable to improve the ability to combat a target by causing several projectiles to explode simultaneously near a target. By firing a succession of projectiles and braking the projectiles that were fired first, the projectiles can be made to be close to the target at the same time. By making the projectiles burst simultaneously, a greater effect can then be achieved, partly because a larger amount of energetic material can burst at the same time, which means that a larger amount of shrapnel can be generated at the same time, and partly because a certain variation in the position of the projectiles means that a larger area can be covered by shrapnel. The invention relates, according to an aspect thereof, to a method for simultaneous blasting of projectiles where the following method steps are included; i.) measuring the position of the target, ii.) estimating the target's position, iii.) firing a first projectile at the target, iv.) firing a second projectile at the target, v.) braking the first projectile with a braking device arranged in the projectile, vi.) detonating the projectiles in a coordinated fashion based on an initiation signal. The purpose of estimating the target's position is that continuous measurement of the target's position is necessarily not always available, for example depending on disturbances, the target moving behind some other object that prevents measurement and so on. By estimating the target's position for a certain point in time, an assumption about the target's position can be made regardless of whether the target's position can be measured or not. According to additional aspects for the method of simultaneous detonation of projectiles, the following applies; that additional projectiles are fired at the target.that the braking device arranged in the projectile is one of;i.) at least one brake valve arranged in the projectile,ii.) at least one impulse engine arranged in the projectile,iii.) at least one control fin arranged in the projectile,iv.) at least one parachute arranged in the projectile. that the brake valve arranged in the projectile is a capable of being deployed and retracted so as to change the braking effect acting on the projectile. that the parachute arranged in the projectile can be removed from the projectile when a certain desired braking effect/velocity has been achieved on the projectile. that the initiation signal is one of; i.) a received radio signal,ii.) a predetermined point in timeiii.) a predetermined position. The invention furthermore comprises, according to an aspect thereof, a fir