First Israeli Multinational BMD Conference

1. New Approach in Lethality Enhancer Design for Exo-atmospheric "Hit to Kill" Interceptors First Israeli Multinational BMD Conference Haim Shuqrun, IAI/MLM Division

2. Context • Introduction – Kinds of interceptors in lethality aspect • Exo-atmospheric KV characteristics & design aspects • The necessity of lethality enhancer • Proposed solution • - Advantages • System requirements • Working point – weight optimization • Summary and conclusions

3. Introduction Types of ballistic missile interceptors (lethality point of view) Hit to Kill Blast fragmentation • Using fragments kinetic energy to ensure damage • Explosive charge as deploying mechanism • Utilizing it’s own kinetic energy SM3 GBI Arrow2 PAC2

4. Exo-atmospheric HTK KV characteristics • Hit To Kill capability • High velocities • Light weight structure • Compact • Non atmospheric effects Lethality design aspects • Small miss distances • Small effective lethality radius (without LED) • Very high closing velocity • Non-massive structure

5. Why do we need lethality enhancer? • Robustness • Compensating intelligence uncertainty about the vulnerable volume location • Compensating optical aiming point error • Compensating guidance and control errors • “Easy” validation (one fragment instead of complex and light structure body)

6. Proposed Solution Inflatable torus as fragments deploying system (FDS) Homing system Rod fragments Existing Gas vessel Valve Inflatable torus Motor Deployed system Folded FDS

7. Advantages • Light weight • Compact and easy to fold • Known preset deploying radius • - Un-necessity of accurate fusing system and range measurement • Non explosive charge • - Fragments attitude control • - Un-necessity of S&A system • - Maintenance, storage, mobility • - Calm deploying process (shocks, indication, life signal) • Applicable on axial acceleration KV's

8. Disadvantages • Gas leakage • Ground testability and verefication • Thin layer – sensitive to thermal condition • Long term storage – cloth permeability • Relatively flexible structure

9. System Requirements Target Sweet Point Deployment radius KV Theoretically infinite fragments are required MD Illustration: not to scale!

10. Required Deployment Radius Asymptotic to infinite fragments amount

11. Weight illustration – Example Wfrag Ri Rdeployment Illustration: not to scale!

12. Weight Optimization – cnt’

13. Moment of Inertia Optimization Increasing the deployment radius will reduce mass (therequired fragments amount)

14. Summary and Conclusions • Brief discussion on Exo-atmospheric KV characteristics • The necessity of lethality enhancer • Proposed solution – inflatable torus as deploying mechanism Advantages: • - Simple • - Robustness • - Non explosive charge • Working point – weight optimization