Advanced Synergistic Structures for Interceptor Kill Vehicles

The MDA has been investing in advanced structures and components technology development and demonstration programs for exoatmospheric interceptors for the ERIS, BP, SBI, EKV and GBI, and the MKV weapon systems. Significant advances have been achieved in mass and volume reduction for these interceptor kill vehicles; however, to achieve the mass reductions required for the next generation KV’s, whether in space or on the ground, it will require the elimination of mass associated with enclosures for electronics. SDC proposes to leverage its 25 years of experience with kill vehicle requirements, technology, as well as SDC’s strong relationship with KV system contractors to develop designs that fully integrate electronics subsystems into the primary structure. The feasibility of embedding three distinct types of electrical components into the composite interceptor structure will be explored: power and ground, data communication busses and antennas and processing components. This study will explore the benefits of embedding the components into the structure, determine which components would provide the best weight advantage, and conclude with the design and fabrication of a composite interceptor subcomponent. An element of the study will be the use of modular construction to change high value components in space via man or robotics.