Portable Electro-Optic Device for Performing Serviceability Checks on Laser-Guided Munitions
Portable Electro-Optic Device for Performing Serviceability Checks on Laser-Guided Munitions
Author(s): Varsha Agrawal; Anil Kumar Maini
No pages: 4
Year: 2009
Article ID: 12-2-5
Keywords: electro-optics, surveillance and target acquisition
Format: Electronic (PDF)
Abstract: Precision-guided munitions (PGM) including laser-guided bombs (LGB), projectiles and missiles and IR guided air-to-air (AAM) and surface-to-air missiles (SAM) are widely exploited weapons because of their precision strike capability. The efficacy of the mission involving delivery of laser-guided munitions largely depends upon the envelope of weapon release from the launch platform and the functionality status of the weapon at the time of release. Laser-guided munitions make use of laser radiation scattered by the target after it is illuminated by a laser target designator. The laser target designator and the laser seeker used in the guided weapon use the same PRF code in a given mission and the weapon homes on to the source of laser scatter once a PRF code is matched. PRF code compatibility between the designator and the laser seeker therefore is essential to the weapon's functionality and mission success. Though periodic functionality or readiness checks on this class of guided weapons may involve checking field-of-view, linearity and sensitivity in addition to PRF code compatibility; it is the PRF code compatibility check that is considered as the litmus test for establishing the serviceability of the weapon. This paper presents the design and development of a portable electro-optic device that generates the signatures in terms of amplitude, wavelength, and PRF code of the laser radiation scattered from the target as seen by the laser seeker used in LGB delivery applications. The device was used to perform serviceability checks on laser seekers of foreign origin.