Common Gravity Dropped Small Weapon Electronic Safe Arm Fuze (ESAF)

The objective of this project is to develop innovative means to effectively enable Safe/Arm (S/A) functionally within gravity dropped small weapons. A systematic method is proposed for the development of various means of using external stimuli, environmental sensing and certain event detection techniques to provide for safe and arm (S/A) functionalities. Fully electronic concepts are proposed that operate without the need of batteries or external power sources by generating their required electrical energy. The proposed electronics circuitry and logics would then provide the desired S/A functionalities as well as some other fuzing functionalities. The concepts are particularly safe since their electronics circuitry and logics have no available power prior to their release. The project involves extensive dynamics and structural modeling and simulation and proof-of-concept prototype development and testing to validate the developed models. The validated models are then to be used to develop optimal designs to match the requirements of the project. The proposed concepts are particularly suitable for miniaturization and low-cost production since they can be manufactured using well established mass fabrication techniques and equipment. BENEFIT: The development of the proposed concepts for safe and arm (S/A) functionalities is essential for the development of low-cost, safe, small fuzing for gravity dropped small weapons with significantly reduced collateral damage and UXO. Such no-battery, self-powered electronic safe and arm (S/A) devices will have a wide range of dual use commercial and other military applications. On the military side, they could be used on a wide range of weapons to reduce cost and increase safety, reduce collateral damage and UXO. On the commercial side, they could be used to initiate remote wireless sensors used for diagnostics, emergency detection, and for other similar purposes.