초록 ▼

A method for creating coherent masses of burning matter for countermeasures purposes such as for protecting an aircraft and other vehicles from infrared "heat seeking" hostile missiles and also from high power Laser beams and Laser radar. One or more spurious sources of radiation are created control

A method for creating coherent masses of burning matter for countermeasures purposes such as for protecting an aircraft and other vehicles from infrared "heat seeking" hostile missiles and also from high power Laser beams and Laser radar. One or more spurious sources of radiation are created controllably in the general vicinity of the aircraft being protected; in missile countermeasures, each of these spurious sources is capable of emitting infrared energy comparable in wave length and at a higher intensity than that emitted by the target aircraft itself such that the hostile missile will be decoyed away from its intended target by the spurious radiation sources. In this method, the spurious source of radiation is created by igniting a small amount of aircraft fuel that is gelled and controllably ejected from the aircraft. Protection against Laser weapons and radar is provided by interposing the burning mass of matter in the Laser beam so that combusion products in the burning mass serve to degrade beam power. Apparatus for practicing the method is disclosed comprising means for withdrawing a small quantity of fuel from the aircraft fuel tank, means for adding a gelling agent to the quantity of fuel, and means for simultaneously igniting and ejecting the quantity of gelled fuel such that a persistent source of radiant energy that can be used for decoy purposes and attenuating Laser beams is produced.

대표청구항 ▼

1. The method for creating discrete coherent clouds of burning matter which can be utilized for military countermeasures purposes to protect aircraft and other vehicles against infrared heat-seeking hostile missiles and light-radiation devices such as high power Laser weapons, Laser radars, and the

1. The method for creating discrete coherent clouds of burning matter which can be utilized for military countermeasures purposes to protect aircraft and other vehicles against infrared heat-seeking hostile missiles and light-radiation devices such as high power Laser weapons, Laser radars, and the like, comprising the steps of:withdrawing from the fuel tank of the vehicle a quantity of the fuel used in the propulsion means thereof; passing said quantity of fuel to a dispenser associated with said vehicle; gelling said quantity of fuel by the addition of a gelling agent; passing said gelled fuel through a plurality of openings in an apertured plate to change said gelled fuel into a particulate form, said gelled fuel being passed through said apertures at a rate and pressure that will impart momentum sufficient to project the particles away from said dispenser such that said quantity of particulate gelled fuel is expelled from the vehicle in the form of a discrete cloud of particles; and igniting said cloud of particles in the dispenser prior to its expulsion from the vehicle to thereby produce a fireball comprising a source of radiation having wavelengths comparable to the radiation emitted by the vehicle propulsion means.