Advanced Low Cost Smart Missile Fin Technology Evaluation

Three areas of research on low cost, reliable, folding aero surfaces will be conducted. First, different types of fin deployment and flight control actuators will be examined. These include conventional fin actuators, shape-memory-alloy, piezoelectric, magnetostrictive, and electrostrictive actuators. Second, different fin designs will be examined. These candidate designs are capable of flight control and conformal folding around the fuselage. They include conventional fins, active aerodynamic plates, twist active, active camber, active servoflap and active aeroservoelastic fins. The third section of research will be composed of trade studies on the various fin designs, including: material costs, manufacturing costs, reliability, manufacturing feasibility, radar cross section, deployment time, occupation of fuselage volume, structural strength, stiffness, weight, drag and power consumption. The three sections of research will lead to the selection of four preferred missile fin designs that are simple, low cost, reliable and capable of flight control without occupation of fuselage volume. There will be two preferred supersonic and two preferred subsonic designs chosen. A pair of these will be for stabilization and the other's will be used for flight control. This investigation will use smart structures to greatly simplify folding missile fin design which in turn will reduce costs, enhance reliability and improve overall performance.