Low-Cost Miniature Control Actuation System for Gun-Fired Munitions

Orbital Research Inc. proposes to design and develop an innovative, low-cost Miniature Control Actuator System (MCAS) for active aerodynamic control of Army's next-generation smart munitions. The MCAS will employ miniature flow control actuators and advanced control strategies to provide in-flight course-correction capability for Army’s line-of-sight (LOS) and beyond line-of-sight (BLOS) munitions. The proposed MCAS system will eliminate the need for traditional, servo-based control surfaces for aerodynamic control. Benefits of using MCAS over hinged surfaces include, low- weight, volume, and cost, and faster response rate of the control system, which translate into improved range, accuracy, and lethality of the munitions. Continuous in-flight adjustments will help reduce dispersion (thus, friendly force casualties) while significantly increasing endgame maneuverability and lethality. The Phase II program will involve extensive wind tunnel testing, computational fluid dynamics analysis, and 6-DOF flight simulations for the design and development of the MCAS for Army’s next-generation of smart munitions.