KINETIC DELIVERY OF HIGH-EXPLOSIVE WARHEADS

THE USE OF HIGH-EXPLOSIVE, KINETIC-PENETRATION WARHEADS IS INHIBITED BY THE LACK OF FUZING SYSTEMS WHICH CAN ACCURATELY LOCATE THE WARHEAD WITH RESPECT TO PENETRATION POINT. DESIGNING SUCH FUZE IS COMPLICATED BY THE SEVERE DECELERATION ENVIRONMENT AND THE AVAILABILITY OF ENVIRONMENTAL SENSORS AND FIRING SYSTEMS WHICH CAN DETERMINE WHEN TO OPTIMALLY INITIATE THE WARHEAD AND PERFORM THE INITIATION WITH SUFFICIENT SPEED AND RELIABILITY. QUANTIC PROPOSES TO SOLVE THIS PROBLEM BY THE APPLICATION OF TWO TECHNOLOGIES. FIRST, A THREE AXES, HARDENED, SOLID-STATE ACCELEROMETER, COUPLED WITH A MICROPROCESSOR, WILL BE USED TO "TRACK" THE PENETRATION IN REAL TIME IN X, Y, Z COORDINATES FROM POINT OF IMPACT. SECOND, AN ALL-ELECTRONIC EXPLODING FOIL INITIATOR (EFI) WILL BE USED TO FIRE THE WARHEAD BOOSTER. THE EFI SYSTEM IS INTRINSICALLY HARD AND OFFERS THE POTENTIAL FOR AN ALL ELECTRONIC SAFE AND ARM (S&A) WHICH CAN USE ENVIRONMENTAL SENSORS FOR THE ARMING FUNCTION. EFI SYSTEMS ARE CURRENTLY UNDER DEVELOPMENT AT QUANTIC. THE ALL SOLID-STATE, CAPACITANCE-BASED ACCELEROMETERS ARE UNDER DEVELOPMENT BY SILICON DESIGN, INC. UNDER A SEPARATE SBIR PROGRAM.