Multi-Aperture Frame with Cooled MS-ZnS Windows

??????? Forward-looking infrared (IR) seekers are the preferred guidance system for current and future hypersonic interceptors. Seeker performance is limited by the infrared windowĺs ability to survive and image in a high-Mach, endo-atmospheric environment where temperatures and heating rates can exceed 1000 ░C and 100 W/cm▓. Conventional window materials are unable to survive or operate in this environment because of thermal shock or losses associated with emission/absorption within the window. Because of these limitations, future seeker performance improvements require the development of advanced cooling strategies for hypersonic windows. Our patented fabrication method is able to create novel internal geometries within infrared window materials. Mainstream proposes to leverage this work to design and build a multi-aperture cooled seeker window required to mitigate thermal loading on a hot nose cone during Mach 5+ flight. At the completion of this effort, Mainstream will have a complete thermal management solution for operation of a cooled seeker on a hypersonic vehicle.