초록

A method and system for extracting and targeting multiple submunitions from a delivery vehicle. Each submunition may be self-extracting, recoil-less extracting, self-spin initiating, and/or sensor fuzed.

대표청구항 ▼

1. A munition system comprising:a delivery vehicle having a main portion; andat least two submunitions mounted within the main body portion, wherein each submunition has at least one extraction motor having at least one ejection port aligned with at least one flow through-port of the main body porti

1. A munition system comprising:a delivery vehicle having a main portion; andat least two submunitions mounted within the main body portion, wherein each submunition has at least one extraction motor having at least one ejection port aligned with at least one flow through-port of the main body portion. 2. The munition system as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one submunition includes an orientation and stabilization system. 3. The munition system as claimed in claim 2, wherein the orientation and stabilization system is a samara wing blade. 4. The munition system as claimed in claim 2, wherein each submunition further comprises a timer mechanism constructed and designed to be initiated at extraction of the submunition from the delivery vehicle. 5. The munition system as claimed in claim 4, wherein the submunition further comprises a submunition processor subsystem, the submunition processor subsystem communicating with the timer mechanism and initiating deployment of the orientation and stabilization system at a determined time from extraction. 6. The munition system as claimed in claim 5, wherein the delivery vehicle includes a delivery vehicle processor subsystem to determine the time to initiate deployment of the orientation and stabilization system and to communicate the determined time to the submunition processor subsystem. 7. The munition system as claimed in claim 1, wherein each submunition further comprises a spin-up system. 8. The munition system as claimed in claim 7, wherein the spin-up system is a second stage of the at least one extraction motor. 9. The munition system as claimed in claim 7, wherein the spin-up system includes at least two spin ports. 10. The munition system as claimed in claim 9, wherein the spin ports are diametrically opposed and aligned through a center of gravity of the submunition. 11. The munition system as claimed in claim 7, wherein the spin-up system is constructed and designed to spin-up the submunition to at least 20 hertz. 12. The munition system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one ejection port is constructed and arranged to form a thrust vector through a center of gravity of the submunition. 13. The munition system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the extraction motor of each submunition includes at least three ejection ports and at least one ejection port is aligned with at least one through-port of the main body portion. 14. The munition system as claimed in claim 13, wherein at least one through-port is an opening in the main body portion for extraction of the submunition. 15. The munition system as claimed in claim 13, wherein the main body portion includes at least three through-ports. 16. The munition system as claimed in claim 13, wherein the ejection ports are constructed and arranged to extract the submunition to the left, right and upward of the delivery vehicle. 17. The munition system as claimed in claim 16, wherein the at least three ejection ports include a first ejection port constructed and arranged to thrust approximately vertically and downward of the delivery vehicle, a second ejection port constructed and arranged to thrust approximately 45 degrees from the first ejection port, and a third ejection port constructed and arranged to thrust approximately 45 degrees from the first ejection port. 18. The munition system as claimed in claim 1, wherein each ejection port is substantively sealed with an explosive plug, wherein at least one plug is explosively opened to allow the extraction motor to thrust through the at least one ejection port and the at least one through-port. 19. The munition system as claimed in claim 18, wherein the explosive plug includes a phototransistor explosive initiator constructed and designed to be actuated by a laser pulse. 20. The munition system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the delivery vehicle further comprises a delivery vehicle processor subsystem to determine errors due to wind. 21. The munition system as claimed i n claim 1, wherein the delivery vehicle further includes a delivery vehicle sensor subsystem and a delivery vehicle processor subsystem to determine target position. 22. The munition system as claimed in claim 21, wherein the delivery vehicle processor subsystem determines at least one ejection port to initiate to target at least one submunition to the determined target position. 23. The munition system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the delivery vehicle further includes a delivery vehicle sensor subsystem and a delivery vehicle processor subsystem to determine distinguishing characteristics of a target. 24. The munition system as claimed in claim 23, wherein the delivery vehicle processor subsystem discriminates between military and civilian targets. 25. The munition system as claimed in claim 1, wherein each submunition further includes at least one submunition sensor subsystem adapted to detect a military target. 26. The munition system as claimed in claim 25, wherein the at least one submunition sensor subsystem communicates with a submunition processor subsystem to compare distinguishing target characteristics. 27. The munition system as claimed in claim 26, wherein the delivery vehicle further includes a delivery vehicle sensor subsystem and a delivery vehicle processor subsystem to determine distinguishing characteristics of a target, the delivery vehicle processor subsystem communicating the distinguishing characteristics of the target to the submunition sensor subsystem of the submunition before extraction of the submunition from the delivery vehicle. 28. The munition system as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one extraction motor is designed to eject a submunition at at least 100 feet per second lateral velocity from the delivery vehicle for a twelve pound submunition. 29. The munition system as claimed in claim 1, wherein each submunition is removably attached to the delivery vehicle with a dovetail device. 30. The munition system as claimed in claim 29, wherein the dovetail device is designed to be sheered by the forces of the extraction motor. 31. The munition system as claimed in claim 30, wherein the dovetail device is a friction lock designed to release the submunition under the force of the extraction motor.