Payload Ejection Technology Demonstration

A major MDA and SMDC thrust area is the development of methods to improve the discrimination of real warheads from decoys by altering the signatures and/or kinematic characteristics of potential targets. Some of the discrimination systems being evaluated/flight tested for this application require discrimination system payloads to be deployed from a carrier vehicle. Maximizing the capability of discrimination systems is critical to identifying the real warheads from decoys. The incorporation of two, new payload ejector and electrical interface technologies into the payload deployment system offer the opportunity to significantly decrease the size and weight of the payload carriage and ejection system. Decreasing the size and weight of the payload carriage and ejection system offers the opportunity to increase the payload's size/weight and hence increase the discrimination payload's capability. The new electrical interface technology greatly simplifies the electrical interfaces between the payload and the carrier vehicle. The new payload ejectors simplify the design and operation of the payload deployment system. These two technologies together offer significant reductions in the size/complexity of the payload deployment system. The proposed program will design and test representative components in order to assess their application for discrimination payload ejection applications.