Deployable-Wing Projectile for Low-Velocity Drone Intercepts
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional ammunition used to disable drones poses significant risks of injury and property damage due to high terminal velocity and unpredictable descent patterns, posing a public safety dilemma in populated areas.
Innovation Solution
A projectile design featuring a penetrator body with deployable wings that unfold to generate drag and autorotation, allowing controlled descent and reducing ground-level hazards.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional ammunition is used to disable drones, then the drone can be effectively struck, but the projectile returns to ground at high velocity causing injury and property damage
Solution Approach 1:
The projectile incorporates deployable wings that transition from a stowed configuration during firing to an extended configuration during descent. This dynamic transformation enables the projectile to change its aerodynamic properties mid-flight, generating drag and autorotation forces that slow descent velocity and stabilize trajectory, thereby reducing ground impact energy while maintaining drone striking effectiveness
Solution Approach 2:
The projectile modifies its physical parameters during flight by deploying wings that increase surface area and alter aerodynamic coefficients. This parameter change transforms the projectile from a high-velocity penetrator to a controlled-descent object with reduced terminal velocity, addressing the contradiction between effective target engagement and safe ground impact
2Adaptability or versatility
If conventional ammunition is fired upward at various angles to target drones, then the drone can be engaged, but the projectile travels unpredictable distances before descending
Solution Approach 1:
The deployable wing mechanism provides aerodynamic feedback during descent, with the wings automatically adjusting to generate stabilizing forces. This feedback system causes the projectile to autorotate and self-correct its trajectory, creating a more predictable and controllable descent path regardless of the initial firing angle, thereby improving landing point predictability while maintaining engagement flexibility
3Reliability
If standard rounds are fired at lightweight aerial devices, then the drone can be struck, but the bullet passes through with little velocity reduction causing over-penetration
Solution Approach 1:
The projectile is segmented into a modular design with a penetrator body and separate deployable wing components. This segmentation allows the penetrator to maintain sufficient velocity for effective drone striking while the deployed wings independently manage descent characteristics, preventing over-penetration by creating aerodynamic resistance without compromising target engagement capability
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The projectile effectively disables drones while minimizing risks to people and property by decelerating and stabilizing its descent, ensuring safe impact.
Implementation Method 1
the wings act to decelerate the projectile and impart rotational motion to the penetrator body
Implementation Method 2
the wings act to decelerate the projectile and impart rotational motion to the penetrator body, thereby slowing and stabilizing its descent
Implementation Method 3
when fired into the air, those projectiles eventually return to the ground at high velocity
Data Source
AI summary
A projectile and ammunition round are provided for disabling unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) or drones while reducing risks to people and property on the ground. The projectile includes a penetrator body and a plurality of wings that are folded during firing and deploy after discharge. In the deployed configuration, the wings slow and stabilize the projectile by generating drag and imparting rotation. The body may include grooves and a recessed forward end to enable multiple projectiles to be stacked in a nested configuration within a casing. An ammunition round may contain multiple stacks of the projectiles for compact storage and sequential deployment.