PRECISE MISSILE BODY LOCATION USING VACUUM CORE EMISSION

IN ORDER FOR ANY DIRECTED ENERGY WEAPON SYSTEM TO BE EFFECTIVE, IT MUST BE CAPABLE OF LOCATING THE TARGET AND DISCRIMINATING AGAINST CLUTTER AND COUNTERMEASURES. THIS PROPOSAL CONSIDERS THE PROBLEM OF ACCURATE ROCKET BODY LOCATING USING PLUME INFRARED EMISSION. INFRARED (IR) VACUUM CORE RADIATION NEAR THE ROCKET MOTOR NOZZLE IS A PROMISING SIGNATURE COMPONENT FOR THIS APPLICATION. A NOVEL SENSOR CONCEPT FOR PRECISE BOOSTER LOCATION IS PROPOSED, WHICH PERMITS ONE TO OBSERVE THE CACUUM CORE RADIATION, WHILE DISCRIMINATING AGAINST INTERFERING COMPONENTS OF THE PLUME SIGNATURE AS WELL AS POTENTIAL IR COUNTERMEASURES. THIS DISCRIMINATION IS PERFORMED BY USING A SPECTRAL FILTERING TECHNIQUE WHICH SELECTIVELY ABSORBS THE INTERFERING RADIATION WHILE TRANSMITTING MOST OF THE VACUUM CORE EMISSION. LOCATION OF THE ROCKET ENGINE EXIT PLANE TO APPROXIMATELY ONE METER MAY BEPOSSIBLE WITH THIS TECHNIQUE. A FEASIBILITY ANALYSIS OF THIS SENSOR CONCEPT IS PROPOSED FOR PHASE I. DESIGN, CONSTRUCTION, AND LABORATORYDEMONSTRATION OF A PROTOTYPE SENSOR WOULD BE PERFORMED IN PHASE II.