Armament Research - Development of Rotary-Wing Submunition Technology

Technology development is proposed for an air-delivered submunition employing a rotary wing to provide a large footprint with minimal burden in cost and complexity. With the rotary wing in autorotation, the submunition scans a circular area while in controlled vertical descent. When the sensor, which is mounted on the rotor mast, detects a target, cyclic rotor pitch control is introduced, causing the submunition to glide down a flight path which passes over the target at a prescribed altitude. The primary concerns in implementing the concept center on stability and control. Angular rate feedback is required for stable vertical descent and velocity feedback is needed to command a lateral maneuver. Feasibility will be demonstrated during Phase I by laying out a preliminary mechanical design, generating a detailed simulation model which includes all critical guidance and control elements and conducting simulations which quantify design requirements for the instrumentation and servo controls as well as delineate the performance capabilities of a rotary-wing submunition. The desion generated in Phase I will provide the basis for conducting demonstration flight tests in Phase II. '.