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A method, apparatus and system are provided to permit an aerial asset to determine its current location and to, in turn, locate and track a target even as efforts are made by others to jam or otherwise hinder offboard communications that may prevent reliance upon GPS or other positioning systems. A

A method, apparatus and system are provided to permit an aerial asset to determine its current location and to, in turn, locate and track a target even as efforts are made by others to jam or otherwise hinder offboard communications that may prevent reliance upon GPS or other positioning systems. A method includes receiving, at a navigation control vehicle, information regarding the relative position of a target with respect to each of the at least two sonobuoys. The method also determines a relative position of the target with respect to the navigation control vehicle at least partially based on the information regarding the relative position of the target with respect to each of the at least two sonobuoys. The method provides information regarding the relative position of the target to an aerial asset to facilitate location of the target by the aerial asset.

대표청구항 ▼

1. A method comprising: receiving, at a receiver of a navigation control vehicle, information regarding a relative position of a target with respect to each of at least two sonobuoys;determining, with a processor, the relative position of the target with respect to the navigation control vehicle at

1. A method comprising: receiving, at a receiver of a navigation control vehicle, information regarding a relative position of a target with respect to each of at least two sonobuoys;determining, with a processor, the relative position of the target with respect to the navigation control vehicle at least partially based on the information regarding the relative position of the target with respect to each of the at least two sonobuoys; andproviding information, with a transmitter, regarding the relative position of the target with respect to the navigation control vehicle to an aerial asset comprising a master aerial vehicle, remote from the navigation control vehicle, to facilitate location of the target by the aerial asset, wherein the aerial asset is configured to generate a composite multi-dimensional representation of the target based on a combination of radar data received from other aerial assets that have collected projections over an area in which the target is located as well as radar data collected by the master aerial vehicle, wherein the master aerial vehicle is further configured to identify the target based on the composite multi-dimensional representation, and to generate aimpoint data regarding the target based on an identity of the target. 2. A method according to claim 1 wherein providing the information regarding the relative position of the target with respect to the navigation control vehicle comprises providing the information regarding the relative position of the target with respect to the navigation control vehicle to the aerial asset without provision of an absolute position of the target. 3. A method according to claim 1 further comprising determining a relative position of each of the at least two sonobuoys with respect to the navigation control vehicle, and wherein determining the relative position of the target with respect to the navigation control vehicle further comprises determining the relative position of the target with respect to the navigation control vehicle at least partially based upon the relative position of each of the at least two sonobuoys with respect to the navigation control vehicle. 4. A method according to claim 1 further comprising placing a swarm of sonobuoys in a spaced apart relationship relative to one another and relative to the target. 5. A method according to claim 1 wherein the information regarding the relative position of the target with respect to each of the at least two sonobuoys is based upon a direction of the target relative to the respective sonobuoy, and wherein the method further comprises determining the relative position of the target with respect to the at least two sonobuoys based upon triangulation. 6. A method according to claim 1 wherein providing information regarding the relative position of the target with respect to the navigation control vehicle to an aerial asset comprises providing information regarding the relative position of the target with respect to the navigation control vehicle to at least one of an unmanned aerial vehicle or a missile. 7. An apparatus comprising: a receiver configured to receive information regarding a relative position of a target with respect to each of at least two sonobuoys;a processor configured to determine the relative position of the target with respect to a navigation control vehicle at least partially based on the information regarding the relative position of the target with respect to each of the at least two sonobuoys; anda transmitter configured to provide information regarding the relative position of the target with respect to the navigation control vehicle to an aerial asset comprising a master aerial vehicle, remote from the navigation control vehicle, to facilitate location of the target by the aerial asset, wherein the aerial asset is configured to generate a composite multi-dimensional representation of the target based on a combination of radar data received from other aerial assets that have collected projections over an area in which the target is located as well as radar data collected by the master aerial vehicle, wherein the master aerial vehicle is further configured to identify the target based on the composite multi-dimensional representation, and to generate aimpoint data regarding the target based on an identity of the target. 8. An apparatus according to claim 7 wherein the transmitter is further configured to provide the information regarding the relative position of the target with respect to the navigation control vehicle by providing the information regarding the relative position of the target with respect to the navigation control vehicle to the aerial asset without provision of an absolute position of the target. 9. An apparatus according to claim 7 wherein the processor is further configured to determine a relative position of each of the at least two sonobuoys with respect to the navigation control vehicle, and wherein the processor is configured to determine the relative position of the target with respect to the navigation control vehicle by determining the relative position of the target with respect to the navigation control vehicle at least partially based upon the relative position of each of the at least two sonobuoys with respect to the navigation control vehicle. 10. An apparatus according to claim 7 wherein the information regarding the relative position of the target with respect to each of the at least two sonobuoys is based upon a direction of the target relative to each of the at least two sonobuoys, and wherein the processor is further configured to determine the relative position of the target with respect to the respective sonobuoy based upon triangulation. 11. An apparatus according to claim 7 wherein the transmitter is further configured to provide information regarding the relative position of the target with respect to the navigation control vehicle to an aerial asset comprises providing information regarding the relative position of the target with respect to the navigation control vehicle to at least one of an unmanned aerial vehicle or a missile. 12. A system comprising: at least two sonobouys configured to detect a target and to determine a relative position of the target with respect to a respective sonobuoy;a navigation control vehicle configured to receive information regarding the relative position of a target with respect to each of the at least two sonobuoys, to determine a relative position of the target with respect to the navigation control vehicle at least partially based on the information regarding the relative position of the target with respect to each of the at least two sonobuoys, and to provide information regarding the relative position of the target with respect to the navigation control vehicle; andan aerial asset configured to receive the information regarding the relative position of the target with respect to the navigation control vehicle and to determine a relative position of the target with respect to the aerial asset at least partially based on the information regarding the relative position of the target with respect to the navigation control vehicle,wherein the aerial asset comprises a master aerial vehicle that is further configured to generate a composite multi-dimensional representation of the target based on a combination of radar data received from other aerial assets that have collected projections over an area in which the target is located as well as radar data collected by the master aerial vehicle, wherein the master aerial vehicle is further configured to identify the target based on the composite multi-dimensional representation, and to generate aimpoint data regarding the target based on an identity of the target. 13. A system according to claim 12 wherein the navigation control vehicle is further configured to provide the information regarding the relative position of the target with respect to the navigation control vehicle without provision of an absolute position of the target, and wherein the aerial asset is further configured to determine the relative position of the target with respect to the aerial asset without receipt of the absolute position of the target. 14. A system according to claim 12 wherein the navigation control vehicle is further configured to determine a relative position of each of the at least two sonobuoys with respect to the navigation control vehicle and to determine the relative position of the target with respect to the navigation control vehicle by determining the relative position of the target with respect to the navigation control vehicle at least partially based upon the relative position of each of the at least two sonobuoys with respect to the navigation control vehicle. 15. A system according to claim 12 wherein the aerial asset is further configured to determine a relative position of the navigation control vehicle with respect to the aerial asset and to determine the relative position of the target with respect to the aerial asset by determining the relative position of the target with respect to the aerial asset at least partially based upon the relative position of the navigation control vehicle with respect to the aerial asset. 16. A system according to claim 12 wherein the aerial asset comprises at least one of an unmanned aerial vehicle and a missile. 17. A system according to claim 12 further comprising a swarm of sonobuoys in a spaced apart relationship relative to one another and relative to the target. 18. A system according to claim 12 wherein the master aerial vehicle is further configured to generate aimpoint data regarding the target based on an identity of the target, the aimpoint data defining a most vulnerable point on the target. 19. A method according to claim 1 wherein providing information regarding the relative position of the target with respect to the navigation control vehicle comprises establishing networking with the aerial asset from which a relative location of the aerial asset from the navigation control vehicle is determinable. 20. An apparatus according to claim 7 wherein the transmitter is further configured to establish networking with the aerial asset from which a relative location of the aerial asset from the navigation control vehicle is determinable.