Advanced Lightweight, Low Cost, High-g Seeker Gimbal

An innovative, new seeker gimbal design featuring “drop in” integration into the missile tube. Transporting, warehousing, and other aspects of logistical support is aided by its innovative and rugged design. A major improvement over traditional gimbals that require “ship within a bottle” assembly techniques. Most gimbals require interior brackets bolted into the missile tube before the fragile seeker gimbal can be delicately lowered into the missile tube for final assembly. Commercial Off the Shelf (COTS) components including motors and position feedback devices are another important feature of this design. Moog, Inc. motors and commercial resolvers will be used. By using proven components in a new way, key component failure is minimized and costs are reduced. Simple, rugged construction ball-and-socket design eliminates expensive fragile precision ball bearings. Dicronite precision dry film lubrication coating is used for the ball-and-socket and trunnions reduces friction to a minimum. Over 1000 sensor mount gimbals have been sold by KVH, Inc. Providence Rhode Island for their TracPhone communication system. L3 Technologies, Space & Sensors, Mason, Ohio, and PaR Systems, Inc., Shoreview, Minnesota have contributed letters of support. Approved for Public Release | 19-MDA-9932 (21 Feb 19)