Active Pitch Copntrol for Improved Weapon Separation Characteristics

A new class of miniaturized munitions will play a key role in future warfighting scenarios by providing precision strikes to an array of high-value targets. To meet this need, weapons such as the Small Bomb System (SBS), Low Cost Autonomous Attack System (LOCAAS) and Miniature Air Launched Decoy (MALD) represent a new generation of small, low-cost weapon systems currently under development. Deployment of these weapons from internal weapon bays of advanced tactical aircraft, such as the F-22, F-117A, and JSF poses new engineering challenges and drives the need to further the science of weapons carriage and release. A change in the de safe separation of these new weapon systems from internal weapons bays. Understanding and controlling how weapons will react to the flow within the weapons bay environment is essential in providing a high confidence of safe separation. This proposal demonstrates a concept that will provide the desired result of improved safe separation. Active Pitch Control utilizes real-time aircraft data to predict flow characteristics, particularly the turbulent shear layer. Based on this prediction, the system reacts to provide an optimum pitch attitude to the weapon during ejection. Alignment of the weapon with the shear layer will significantly minimize adverse aerodynamic moments and thus providing the weapon with significantly improved separation characteristics.