Telescoping Boom IR Decoy for Rotorcraft Missile Defense
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional countermeasures for rotorcraft against IR-guided missiles, such as flares and jammers, are limited by the number of expendables and unsuitable for rotorcraft due to entanglement risks with rotors or ground obstacles, leaving aircraft vulnerable.
Innovation Solution
A system of telescoping booms with IR non-expendable decoys that can be adjusted in flight to position decoys clear of aircraft components and obstacles, using a missile launch detector and warning system to lure missiles away from critical areas.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional expendable countermeasures (flares and jammers) are used, then missile diversion capability is provided, but the supply is limited and can be exhausted
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs sacrificial booms that are designed to be disposable - they are extended to position decoys away from the aircraft, and if a missile detonates, it does so at a safe distance from critical components. After deployment, the booms can be retracted or replaced, allowing continuous protection without depleting valuable expendable countermeasure supplies.
2Reliability
If tethered decoys are used behind the aircraft, then false target capability is provided, but entanglement risk with rotors or ground obstacles increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the decoy functionality from tethered configurations and integrates IR-radiating decoys directly onto booms that extend from the aircraft structure. This eliminates the flexible tether that causes entanglement problems while maintaining the ability to position false targets away from the aircraft to divert missiles.
Solution Approach 2:
The booms serve as rigid intermediaries between the aircraft and the IR decoys, replacing the flexible tether. These booms can be extended and positioned to place decoys at safe distances from the aircraft without the entanglement risks associated with flexible tethers, while still providing the necessary mechanical connection.
3Reliability
If booms are extended to position decoys away from aircraft, then missile diversion effectiveness is improved, but parasitic drag increases in high speed flight
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs dynamically extendable and retractable booms that can be extended only when missile threats are detected and deployed. During normal high-speed flight without threats, the booms are retracted to minimize parasitic drag. This dynamic configuration allows the system to optimize between protection effectiveness and energy efficiency based on operational conditions.
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
Effectively diverts IR-guided missiles away from critical aircraft components, reducing the risk of damage and extending protection beyond the limited supply of traditional expendables by using sacrificial booms to detonate warheads at safe distances.
Implementation Method 1
Each such telescoping boom includes an IR-radiating decoy mounted on a distal tip thereof
Data Source
AI summary
An active countermeasure for military rotorcraft against a heat-seeking missile threat involves one or more telescoping booms or poles that are articulated at their proximal end to the fuselage of the rotorcraft and have an IR-radiating decoy mounted on their distal tip. When a missile launch is detected the missile flight path is computed and one or more of the booms are extended and swung out to place the decoy on the shot line of the missile. The decoy is then switched on and lures the missile away from the vulnerable components of the craft, such as the engine, rotors, and fuselage so as to cause a miss or failing that a detonation away from the rotorcraft. The countermeasures are stored compactly against or within the tail when not deployed.