Far-Target Locator for Man-Portable Missile Launcher

Toyon Research Corporation proposes to develop and demonstrate a low-cost far-target locator (FTL) for the command launch unit (CLU) of the Javelin anti-armor weapon system. While the proposed Small, Tactical, Attitude-aided, and Robust Locator for Enhanced Targeting (STARLET) system will initially be an add-on unit, it will eventually be fully integrated with the CLU and will provide the location of the target selected by the gunner. The STARLET system augments the traditional digital compass subsystem with a novel GPS-based attitude (GPS/A) sensor and gyroscopes that help automate the magnetometer calibration process, thus reducing the operator workload and significantly improving the system performance. An ultra-tightly coupled (UTC) navigation architecture will fuse all system sensors, including in-phase (I) and quadrature-phase (Q) GPS signals for each satellite, thus making the system inherently robust to interference and the resulting target position more accurate. The GPS/A sensor will include a small anti-jam (AJ) GPS antenna that will further improve the interference suppression capability of the system. During the Phase II program a prototype STARLET system will built and networked with the CLU in cooperation with our partner and subcontractor Raytheon Missile Systems. The performance of the prototype system will be field demonstrated prior to the completion of the program.